Free equitable access to safe drinking water is one of the 17th sustainable development goals identified by the UN until 2030. Solving problems in this direction is relevant not only for developing countries, but also for eight arctic countries. The Sustainable Development Working Group of the Arctic Council conducted a study on the basis of a large-scale survey in the framework of the WASH project aimed at evaluation of access to drinking water and sanitation. It found that in most Arctic countries there are positive trends in this parameter, but the reliability of the data is in a number of cases are questionable. To date, the chemical and biological pollution of the Arctic continental waters has been extensively studied, but a number of questions about the access of the population to clean drinking water remain open. In this regard, the purpose of this paper is to identify problems of access to safe drinking water in the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation. The materials of the study were regional reports on the sanitary and epidemiological situation, as well as water supply and sanitation schemes for settlements. The main problems of access to clean drinking water in the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation are formulated and illustrated. They include limited access to water resources, limited water flow rates in permafrost areas, underdeveloped water treatment systems and insufficient condition of water supply networks. Due to the focal development of nature management in the Arctic, the problem of water availability and accessibility of drinking water should be considered within the main populated areas. It is proposed to develop a comprehensive methodology for evaluation an access to drinking water based on the data of settlements with a view to further spatial classification outside the administrative and territorial boundaries.