Millions of Americans use unsafe drinking water each year, a new study has found.
Water quality was poorest in parts of rural Texas, Oklahoma and Idaho during the time period studied.
In Martin County, Kentucky, residents never know what they’re going to get when they turn on their faucets.
Sometimes, they get milky water, or water that looks more like beer, according to a Los Angeles Times report.
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"We felt that in the aftermath of the Flint lead crisis, there was an urgent need to assess the current state of drinking water in the U.S.," University of California-Irvine urban planner Maura Allaire, who led the study, told USA Today.
The study, which examined 17,900 U.S. water systems from 1982 to 2015, found most of the nation’s drinking water is clean, but many of the areas that had poor water quality readings were repeated violators of federal health standards.
"Many of these smaller utilities have just a handful of people who are charged with managing the entire system," Manuel P. Teodoro, a political scientist at Texas A&M University, told the New York Times.
(MORE: The Secret About All That Snow at the PyeongChang Olympics) In Martin County, tainted water has become such a consistent, rampant problem that water bills often include warnings about the long-term health dangers from disinfectant byproducts used to remove toxins from the drinking water, the L.A. Times reported.
Some good news is on the horizon for residents of Martin County: Kentucky Gov.

The Martin County Water District runs the system that has about 3,500 customers.
Gov.
The Appalachian Regional Commission also pledged an additional $1.2 million.
The work will include installing a secondary water intake in the Tug Fork River, upgrading the Crum Reservoir dam, installing a new water line from intake to the dam, and making improvements to the district’s water treatment plant, the elected officials said.
“We have listened to the concerns of the local community, and the grant and corresponding project plan will provide assistance and address needed repairs and improvements within the local water district,” Bevin said in a written press release.
0:56 Liquor regulation changes ‘would eliminate a family-owned business’ Video Link Embed Code Facebook Twitter Email Martin County resident BarbiAnn Maynard blames poor water quality for the cancer that killed her mother.
“While Martin County’s aging water system is in dire need of a gamut of repairs, this funding is a big step in the right direction and helps ensure the people of Martin County will soon have a more reliable, sustainable source of clean drinking water that will include a modernized monitoring system to help prevent future emergencies,” Rogers said.
“Everyone across the country should have access to clean drinking water.
“Over the last 30 years, we’ve expanded water systems in every county to make sure every day needs are met in Eastern Kentucky.
As systems age and deteriorate, like the one in Martin County, we must remain vigilant to prevent prolonged water outages.” The water district has previously refuted some of the customers’ claims, saying the water is clean and safe to drink.