A new national water study shows Oklahoma City’s water quality is just barely above average and that nationally, 30% of residential water utility customers indicate they have water quality issues.
The study, released by J.D. Power suggests the EPA’s Consumer Confidence Reports might not be giving a complete picture of end-consumer water quality. The study indicated the 30% rate is higher than what has typically been reported in the Consumer Confidence Reports produced by local water authorities.
Oklahoma City came in 15th in the South Region with a score of 717 out of a possible 1,000 points. The average for the South is 716. Tulsa came in with a score of 680 points.
Water quality in Dallas was only slightly higher than Oklahoma City as Dallas had a score of 721 points.
In the west, Colorado Springs and Denver each had scores of 734. In the Midwest, Omaha had a score of 721, well above the Midwest Region average of 702.
The study nationally found that of the 30% of residential water utility customers who mentioned a quality problem, 12% cited low pressure. Eleven percent cited bad dates while 8% cited scaling/water hardness. Another 8% complained of water discoloration and 6% cited bad smell.
The study measured satisfaction among residential customers of 88 water utilities delivering water to a population of at least 400,000 people.
