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County water report

Calhoun County Water Report

Drinking-water compliance, watershed health, monitoring records, and river conditions for Calhoun County, Alabama.

Water grade

B

Water score

67.8

State rank

#39

of 67

Health violations

3

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

40.0%

30 water bodies assessed

Monitoring sites

17

8,317 recent measurements

Live streamflow

27%

OHATCHEE CREEK AT OHATCHEE, AL

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Calhoun County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

B

Score: 67.8 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

3

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

40% impaired

30 bodies assessed

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

27% of mean

OHATCHEE CREEK AT OHATCHEE, AL

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

17

8,317 recent readings

Source: EPA SDWIS · Safe Drinking Water Information System

Drinking Water Compliance

Compliance grade

B

Based on EPA SDWIS compliance history.

Water score

Higher scores indicate cleaner recent compliance records.

67.8/100

Health violations

3

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

2.0

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding Calhoun County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Calhoun County earns a B grade for drinking water quality, scoring 67.8 out of 100. Over the past five years, EPA SDWIS records 3 health-based violations — a small cluster that warrants attention.

Watershed Conditions

EPA ATTAINS

Under the Clean Water Act §303(d), EPA ATTAINS tracks whether waterways meet quality standards for drinking, recreation, and aquatic life (reporting cycle: 2022). A substantial 40.0% of assessed waterways are impaired (12 of 30 water bodies) across Calhoun County's watersheds. The leading impairment causes are escherichia coli (e. coli) and polychlorinated biphenyls (pcbs). Impairment does not mean tap water is unsafe — it measures ambient waterway conditions upstream of treatment, not finished drinking water.

River & Streamflow Status

USGS NWIS

USGS NWIS gauge data (as of 2026-05-14T13:45:00.000-05:00) puts OHATCHEE CREEK at 101.0 cfs — well below its long-term average at 27% of mean — low-flow conditions worth noting for water-dependent ecosystems. Streamflow is a leading indicator of drought stress, sediment load, and dilution capacity: low flows concentrate pollutants and warm water temperatures, stressing aquatic life and, in surface-water-dependent systems, the source water quality for treatment plants.

Monitoring Network

EPA WQP

EPA's Water Quality Portal (WQP) aggregates monitoring data from federal, state, and tribal agencies. Calhoun County has moderate coverage with 17 active monitoring sites with 8,317 recent measurements on record. Predominant monitoring categories include physical and inorganics, minor, metals. More monitoring sites generally indicate greater scientific attention to local water conditions — and provide the baseline data that regulators use to set future impairment listings.

Editorial advisory

What the data suggests for Calhoun County

Water Verdict

Calhoun County, Alabama receives a fair water quality assessment with a grade of B and a score of 67.8 out of 100. The water supply meets baseline federal standards, but there may be periods of elevated contaminant levels or infrastructure concerns worth monitoring. Separately, EPA ATTAINS assessments cover 30 water bodies in the county's watershed, with 40.0% listed as impaired under the Clean Water Act — a source-water measure that is tracked independently of tap-water compliance. At the most recent USGS reading, local streamflow was below its historical mean at 26.5% — worth watching in drier seasons.

Violation Context

EPA SDWIS records for Calhoun County, Alabama show 3 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 2.0 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is relatively low compared to many U.S. counties. For independent context, 8,317 water-quality monitoring results have been recorded across the county in the EPA Water Quality Portal over the past five years.

Consumer Guidance

Tap water in Calhoun County scores well above average for drinking-water safety. Calhoun County's drinking-water compliance score is 67.8 out of 100. With 3 recorded health violations, the water supply is generally reliable. The violation rate for Calhoun County is 2.0 per 100,000 people served. Households with infants, pregnant individuals, or immunocompromised members may want to use an NSF 53-certified pitcher filter as a low-cost precaution. E. coli is the leading impairment cause in Calhoun County's watershed. With 17 active water-quality monitoring sites in Calhoun County, data coverage is strong. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the OHATCHEE CREEK gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Calhoun County has water quality close to the average county in Alabama. Its water score is within 1 points of the state average, meaning its overall water system performance is broadly representative of Alabama as a whole.

Advisory text summarizes county-level public records and is not a replacement for your utility's current Consumer Confidence Report or direct local notices.

Contaminants & Resources

Key issues flagged in Calhoun County's water environment

Watershed Impairment Causes (EPA ATTAINS)

  • 1

    E. coli (bacteria)

    Impairment cause per EPA Clean Water Act §303(d) assessment

  • 2

    Polychlorinated Biphenyls (Pcbs)

    Impairment cause per EPA Clean Water Act §303(d) assessment

  • 3

    Phosphorus (excess nutrients)

    Impairment cause per EPA Clean Water Act §303(d) assessment

Source: EPA ATTAINS · Reporting cycle 2022

Official EPA Resources for Calhoun County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Calhoun County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Calhoun County

Consumer Confidence Reports (AL)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in Alabama

Clean Water Act §303(d)

Watershed Health

Impaired Water Bodies

40.0%

12 of 30 assessed

Moderate concern

Top Impairment Causes

  • 1

    ESCHERICHIA COLI (E. COLI)

  • 2

    POLYCHLORINATED BIPHENYLS (PCBS)

  • 3

    PHOSPHORUS, TOTAL

Source: EPA ATTAINS · Reporting cycle 2022

Impairment is determined under the Clean Water Act §303(d): a water body is impaired when it fails to meet state-defined quality standards for designated uses (drinking, recreation, aquatic life). Assessment coverage varies by state; counties without assessed water bodies are not shown.

Past 5 years

Water Quality Monitoring

Monitoring Sites

17

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

8.3K

8,317 total readings

Most Measured

  • Physical
  • Inorganics, Minor, Metals
  • Nutrient

Categories measured most frequently

Data from the EPA Water Quality Portal (WQP), aggregating monitoring records from federal, state, and tribal sources. Each measurement represents a single sample analyzed for a specific characteristic (e.g., E. coli, pH, dissolved oxygen, nitrogen).

Live USGS Streamgage

River & Stream Conditions

Current Discharge

101cfs

May 14, 6:45 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

27%

Well below typical

Primary Streamgage

OHATCHEE CREEK AT OHATCHEE, AL

USGS site
02401895
Drainage area
216.4 sq mi
Long-term mean
381 cfs

One representative streamgage (the one with the largest drainage area in the county). Many counties have multiple gauges; this view summarizes the primary one. The long-term mean is the full-record annual average; the percent-of-typical value compares the latest reading against that average.

Free tool

Estimate Your Water Costs

Water Cost Estimate

3

3 people  ·  ~225 gal/day

Annual Total

$558

Monthly

$47

Water Bill

$558/yr

Filter Cost

$0/yr

Safety Grade for Calhoun County:C — Moderate

Some violations or watershed impairment detected.

Estimates use the national average residential water rate ($0.0068/gal, EPA/AWWA 2023) and EPA WaterSense per-person consumption baseline (75 gal/person/day). Actual bills vary by utility, usage tier, and local infrastructure fees. For informational purposes only.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the water quality in Calhoun County, Alabama?
Calhoun County, Alabama has a drinking-water quality grade of B with a score of 67.8/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 3 health-based drinking water violations over the past 5 years. Watershed health, monitoring records, and streamflow snapshots are reported separately on this page.
Are there any water violations in Calhoun County?
Calhoun County has 3 health-based drinking water violations recorded by the EPA over the past 5 years. Health-based violations indicate instances where contaminant levels exceeded EPA Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs). Violations may have been resolved — check with your local water utility for current status.
How healthy are the watersheds in Calhoun County?
EPA ATTAINS assessments under Clean Water Act §303(d) indicate 40.0% of Calhoun County's 30 assessed water bodies are classified as impaired (12 impaired). The top reported causes are ESCHERICHIA COLI (E. COLI), POLYCHLORINATED BIPHENYLS (PCBS), PHOSPHORUS, TOTAL. Impairment means the water body fails to meet state quality standards for at least one designated use — drinking water source, recreation, aquatic life, or fish consumption. Note: watershed impairment doesn't always translate to tap-water issues; treatment plants can remove most regulated contaminants.
How much water-quality monitoring happens in Calhoun County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 8,317 measurements from 17 monitoring sites in Calhoun County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Physical, Inorganics, Minor, Metals, Nutrient. Each measurement is a single sample analyzed for one characteristic (E. coli, pH, dissolved oxygen, etc.). High monitoring density means more scientific evidence behind any reported signal — it does not by itself indicate water quality.
What's happening with rivers in Calhoun County right now?
Calhoun County's primary USGS streamgage on the OHATCHEE CREEK has a pipeline snapshot of 101 cubic feet per second — 27% of the long-term mean of 380.61 cfs. This is well below typical — often a signal of drought stress on source water. For the latest gauge feed, visit waterdata.usgs.gov.
How does Calhoun County water compare to the Alabama average?
Calhoun County's SDWIS water quality score of 67.8/100 is lower than the Alabama state average of 68.8. The average water quality grade across Alabama is C, based on data from 67 counties with available SDWIS data.
Is tap water safe to drink in Calhoun County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Calhoun County has a water quality grade of B (67.8/100). This indicates good to excellent water quality with strong SDWIS compliance. The grade speaks to the public water system, not the watershed — for watershed-level concerns, see the Watershed Health zone. For the most up-to-date information, contact your local water utility or review your Consumer Confidence Report (CCR).
Does Calhoun County have clean drinking water?
Calhoun County has 3 health-based drinking water violations according to EPA records. With a water quality score of 67.8/100 and grade B, the county's drinking water has had some compliance issues but continues to be monitored. Note: drinking-water compliance speaks to the public water system, not necessarily to the watershed itself — check the Watershed Health zone for ATTAINS §303(d) data.
How does Calhoun County rank for water quality in Alabama?
Calhoun County ranks #39 out of 67 counties in Alabama by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 67.8/100, it falls in the middle third of counties statewide. The ranking reflects EPA SDWIS compliance only — not watershed impairment, monitoring density, or streamflow, which are tracked separately on this page.

Counties with Similar Water Quality

Marshall County

Alabama

B

67.5

Water score

Tuscaloosa County

Alabama

B

67.5

Water score

Etowah County

Alabama

B

67.1

Water score

Data Sources

Drinking-water compliance data from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) via the ECHO enforcement database. Scores reflect compliance history and health-based violation counts.

Watershed health and impaired-waterway data from the EPA ATTAINS Clean Water Act §303(d) assessments, state-reported and EPA-finalized.

Water-quality monitoring counts from the EPA Water Quality Portal (WQP), federated USGS, EPA, and state agency sampling records over a rolling 5-year window.

Live streamflow from the USGS National Water Information System (NWIS), continuous discharge measurements from the largest-drainage gauge in each county, compared against the full-record long-term annual mean.

Disclaimer: This data is informational only. It is not health, legal, or professional advice. For concerns about your specific water supply, contact your local water utility.

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorUpdated Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor

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