TapWaterGuide
Worldwide water safety reference
United States Last reviewed:

Oklahoma Tap Water Quality

about 1,300
Community water systems
1
City reports on this site
3
Tracked contaminants
August 28, 2026
Data reviewed

Check a Oklahoma ZIP Code

Overview

Oklahoma City pipes water from reservoirs across the state (including Canton Lake and southeast Oklahoma's Atoka pipeline) and Tulsa draws Spavinaw and Oologah lakes; both metros meet all federal standards.

Rural Oklahoma shows the strain: many small systems face disinfection byproduct exceedances and aging plants, southeastern karst and old zinc-mining land (the Tar Creek Superfund site at Picher) left localized metals contamination, and naturally occurring arsenic, selenium, and chromium appear in western groundwater pockets.

Common Contaminants in Oklahoma

Disinfection byproducts

The most common exceedance across small reservoir-fed systems with long distribution runs

Mining-legacy metals

Tar Creek's lead and zinc contaminated Ottawa County groundwater; affected communities were relocated or connected to alternate supplies

Arsenic and selenium

Natural pockets in western Oklahoma groundwater trigger occasional small-system violations

Violations & Compliance

The metros are reliably compliant; Oklahoma's violation counts concentrate in its very large roster of small rural systems, and consolidation moves slowly. Tar Creek remains one of the nation's oldest active Superfund sites.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources & References

The safety rating and guidance on this page draw on the following sources. See our full methodology.