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(AP) -- There are nearly two dozen drinking water systems in Missouri that have been consistently failing to complete drinking water tests.

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources said Friday that 23 Missouri drinking water systems have at least three major monitoring violations in a 12-month period. The DNR says the most recent violations occurred in the third quarter of 2011.

Those systems, however, represent less than 1 percent of the approximately 2,800 public drinking water systems in Missouri.

The DNR says failing to monitor doesn't necessarily mean the water is unsafe, but the department says routine testing is important to keeping a water supply safe.

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