Keywords
public water systems, drinking water compliance, compliance assessment framework, datadriven decision-making
Abstract
Regulatory non-compliance among public water systems poses a direct threat to public health, so we develop and apply a compliance assessment framework for state-level data from the Mississippi State Department of Health in order to aid public water systems in updating infrastructure to improve water quality. The framework evaluates public water system compliance across financial, managerial, and technical indicators, producing a composite score to support targeted interventions and data-driven resource allocation. Analyzing 1,107 systems, we identify a tiered structure of deficiencies, ranging from critically non-compliant rural utilities and mobile home parks to mid-range deficient municipal systems, and highlight the 15 systems fully compliant across all indicators. We discuss how this state-level methodology could, with appropriate data standardization, be adapted for broader application. Policy recommendations focus on how, using this foundational methodology, targeted funding, consolidation support, and enhanced transparency, state-level evaluation could support the consistent delivery of safe and reliable drinking water.
