Corrections Policy
When we get something wrong — and we will, occasionally — we want to know. This page explains how we accept, evaluate, and publish corrections.
Accuracy is the product
WaterVerge exists to translate federal drinking water data into something the public can actually use. If our translation introduces an error — a wrong score, an outdated regulatory citation, an obsolete violation status, a typo that changes the meaning — that's a problem we take seriously.
If you find one, please tell us. We will investigate, correct verified errors, and publish a public note explaining what changed.
How to flag an error
Identify the page
Include the exact URL where you saw the issue. For city pages, the city + state slug is enough.
Describe the error
Quote the specific sentence, statistic, or claim. Tell us what you believe the correct value or wording is.
Cite a source
Link to the EPA, state agency, or peer-reviewed source that supports the correction. We need to verify before changing.
What happens next
- Within 3 business days
Acknowledgement
We confirm receipt of your correction request and tell you whether we are reviewing or have requested additional information.
- Within 10 business days
Investigation
An editor cross-checks the disputed claim against EPA, state, and scientific sources. For data-driven pages (city scores, contaminant detections), we trace back to the underlying federal record.
- After verification
Publication
If the error is verified, we update the page and add a corrections note describing what changed and when. The page's "last reviewed" date is updated.
- If we decline
Explanation
If we cannot reproduce the error or the disputed claim is supported by current federal data, we'll explain why and link the source we relied on.
Types of corrections we make
Factual errors
Wrong MCL values, misattributed quotes, incorrect violation counts, mistaken regulatory dates.
Data refresh updates
When EPA publishes new SDWIS or UCMR 5 data, scores can shift. These are routine updates, not corrections — but they are still date-stamped.
Regulatory changes
When the federal rules themselves change (e.g., the 2025 PFAS rule rollback), we update affected pages and note the change.
Editorial clarifications
Wording that is technically accurate but easily misread. We rewrite for clarity and note significant rewrites.
Limits of the corrections process
- Scores you disagree with: If a city scored lower than you expected and the underlying EPA data supports it, we don't adjust the grade. The methodology is public — if you disagree with how we weight subscores, please review the methodology page first.
- Utility-supplied data: We grade off federal records. If a utility believes its EPA-reported data is wrong, the correction must be filed with the EPA or the state primacy agency first; we will reflect updated EPA data on our next refresh.
- Removed pages: We do not de-index or remove pages on request unless required by law or due to a verified factual error that cannot be corrected.
Spotted something?
Reach out and we'll take a look. Reader feedback has materially improved our coverage.