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Baltimore Ranks Among Top 10 Cities In Nation For Good Drinking Water

BALTIMORE (WJZ) --  Baltimore has landed among the top ten American cities with the best drinking water, according to Best Life Magazine.

The magazine says Baltimore has a clean water score of 90.85, ranking higher than that of cities like Philadelphia, Orlando, and New Orleans.

From the 200 biggest American cities, the magazine researched to find the top 25 with the best drinking water. In order to make the list, cities had to have water that tastes good with low levels of contaminants.

The data gathered to compile the list came from the Environmental Protection Agency, the Environmental Working Group, and the American Water Works Association.

In May, Baltimore won first place in its division in the annual taste test held by the Chesapeake Section of the American Water Works Association, for the second year in a row.

"Good public health begins with the basics, including clean, healthy water," Mayor Catherine E. Pugh said then. "For more than 100 years Baltimore City has been a leader in providing this priceless resource to its citizens and to customers in surrounding counties."

Baltimore City Department of Public Works (DPW) provides drinking water to 1.8 million customers in the metropolitan area. The water is held in three reservoirs- Liberty, Prettyboy, and Loch Raven- located in Baltimore and Carroll counties.

DPW filters the water in three plants- Ashburton on the west side and two Montebello plant on the east side. These plants produce as much as 360 million gallons of water a day.

DPW is still working hard and investing hundreds of millions of dollars each year to upgrade it's water system. Baltimore is also continuing the process of building massive, underground tanks to more safely store its finished drinking water.

For a complete list of the cities with the best drinking water, click HERE.

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