The Philadelphia Water Department’s Water Quality Report (Consumer Confidence Report) was ranked the 2026 number one Water Quality Report in America by TapWaterData.
“Philadelphia’s performance shows what’s possible when a utility treats the annual water quality report as more than a compliance obligation,” said Water Online. “At its best, a CCR becomes a public education tool — one that helps customers understand their water, their utility, and the value of the service they rely on every day.”
The Platinum Tier recognition in based on:
-Plain-language clarity
-Containment transparency
-Information design
-Digital accessibility & delivery
-Timeliness & completeness
Learn more in Beyond Compliance: The Utilities Setting A New CCR Standard
Kevin Westerling reports, “Every year, drinking water utilities across the U.S. publish Consumer Confidence Reports (CCRs), the federally required reports designed to inform customers about the quality of their drinking water. While utilities have generally succeeded in meeting regulatory requirements, communicating that information in a clear, accessible, and engaging way has proven more challenging.
That’s the idea behind a new evaluation from TapWaterData, a water-quality information platform that recently assessed 25 major utility water quality reports. Rather than judging the quality of the water itself, the organization evaluated how effectively utilities communicate water-quality information to their customers. The resulting leaderboard identifies utilities doing the best job communicating water-quality information to the public.
TapWaterData evaluated reports using five criteria: clarity, contaminant transparency, information design, digital accessibility/delivery, and timeliness. The scores were based on published CCRs and EPA data, and the organization says no utility paid to participate.
Beyond the rankings themselves, the project offers a framework for evaluating the effectiveness of utility communication at a time when both customer expectations and regulatory expectations continue to evolve.”
Read the full story here.
Congratulations to PWD’s Public Affairs and Bureau of Laboratory Services units and the whole team at PWD for delivering fro their customers.