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County water report

Chilton County Water Report

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

Water grade

A

Water score

86.0

State rank

#5

of 67

Health violations

0

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

39.4%

33 water bodies assessed

Monitoring sites

15

12,904 recent measurements

Live streamflow

26%

WALNUT CREEK ABOVE CLANTON, ALA

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Chilton County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

A

Score: 86.0 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

0

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

39% impaired

33 bodies assessed

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

26% of mean

WALNUT CREEK ABOVE CLANTON, ALA

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

15

12,904 recent readings

Source: EPA SDWIS · Safe Drinking Water Information System

Drinking Water Compliance

Compliance grade

A

Based on EPA SDWIS compliance history.

Water score

Higher scores indicate cleaner recent compliance records.

86.0/100

Health violations

0

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

0.0

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding Chilton County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Chilton County earns an A grade for drinking water quality, scoring 86.0 out of 100. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) records zero health-based violations over the past five years — a strong compliance signal for a mid-sized county.

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 39.4% of assessed waterways are impaired (13 of 33 water bodies) across Chilton County's watersheds. The leading impairment causes are phosphorus, total and biochemical oxygen demand (bod). 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 2026-05-14T14:00:00.000-05:00) puts WALNUT CREEK ABOVE CLANTON, ALA at 14.8 cfs — well below its long-term average at 26% 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. Chilton County has moderate coverage with 15 active monitoring sites with 12,904 recent measurements on record. Predominant monitoring categories include physical and organics, other. 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 Chilton County

Water Verdict

Chilton County, Alabama receives an excellent water quality assessment with a grade of A and a score of 86.0 out of 100. The water supply meets or exceeds federal safety standards, and residents can generally drink tap water with confidence. Separately, EPA ATTAINS assessments cover 33 water bodies in the county's watershed, with 39.4% 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 25.8% — worth watching in drier seasons.

Violation Context

EPA SDWIS records for Chilton County, Alabama show zero health-based violations, indicating that the county's water systems met all federal safety standards during the reporting period. The violation rate is zero per 100,000 people served, which is the best possible outcome. This compliance record sits alongside an unusually deep monitoring archive: 12,904 water-quality results have been logged across the county in the EPA Water Quality Portal over the past five years.

Consumer Guidance

Chilton County has zero recorded health-based violations in the EPA compliance record. Chilton County's drinking-water compliance score is 86.0 out of 100. Elevated phosphorus in watershed assessments indicates agricultural runoff reaching local waterways — a concern for surface ecosystems, but one that municipal treatment plants are designed to filter out. Annual Consumer Confidence Reports confirm treatment effectiveness county by county. With 15 active water-quality monitoring sites in Chilton County, data coverage is strong. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the WALNUT CREEK ABOVE CLANTON, ALA gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Chilton County has better water quality than the average county in Alabama. Its water score is 17.2 points higher than the state average, indicating stronger water system performance relative to neighboring counties.

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 Chilton County's water environment

Watershed Impairment Causes (EPA ATTAINS)

  • 1

    Phosphorus (excess nutrients)

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

  • 2

    Biochemical Oxygen Demand (Bod)

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

  • 3

    Polychlorinated Biphenyls (Pcbs)

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

Source: EPA ATTAINS · Reporting cycle 2022

Official EPA Resources for Chilton County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Chilton County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Chilton County

Consumer Confidence Reports (AL)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in Alabama

Clean Water Act §303(d)

Watershed Health

Impaired Water Bodies

39.4%

13 of 33 assessed

Moderate concern

Top Impairment Causes

  • 1

    PHOSPHORUS, TOTAL

  • 2

    BIOCHEMICAL OXYGEN DEMAND (BOD)

  • 3

    POLYCHLORINATED BIPHENYLS (PCBS)

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

15

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

13K

12,904 total readings

Most Measured

  • Physical
  • Organics, Other
  • Inorganics, Minor, Metals

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

14.8cfs

May 14, 7:00 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

26%

Well below typical

Primary Streamgage

WALNUT CREEK ABOVE CLANTON, ALA

USGS site
02408150
Drainage area
35.7 sq mi
Long-term mean
57.4 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 Chilton 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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Chilton County has good water quality

Learn about water restrictions and conservation in your area.

Water Restrictions →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the water quality in Chilton County, Alabama?
Chilton County, Alabama has a drinking-water quality grade of A with a score of 86.0/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 0 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 Chilton County?
Chilton County has 0 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). Zero violations is an excellent record indicating consistent compliance with federal drinking water standards.
How healthy are the watersheds in Chilton County?
EPA ATTAINS assessments under Clean Water Act §303(d) indicate 39.4% of Chilton County's 33 assessed water bodies are classified as impaired (13 impaired). The top reported causes are PHOSPHORUS, TOTAL, BIOCHEMICAL OXYGEN DEMAND (BOD), POLYCHLORINATED BIPHENYLS (PCBS). 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 Chilton County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 12,904 measurements from 15 monitoring sites in Chilton County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Physical, Organics, Other, Inorganics, Minor, Metals. 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 Chilton County right now?
Chilton County's primary USGS streamgage on the WALNUT CREEK ABOVE CLANTON, ALA has a pipeline snapshot of 14.8 cubic feet per second — 26% of the long-term mean of 57.42 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 Chilton County water compare to the Alabama average?
Chilton County's SDWIS water quality score of 86.0/100 is higher 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 Chilton County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Chilton County has a water quality grade of A (86.0/100). 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 Chilton County have clean drinking water?
Chilton County has 0 health-based drinking water violations according to EPA records. With a water quality score of 86.0/100 and grade A, the county's drinking water meets EPA standards with no recorded health violations. 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 Chilton County rank for water quality in Alabama?
Chilton County ranks #5 out of 67 counties in Alabama by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 86.0/100, it falls in the top 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

Autauga County

Alabama

A

86.0

Water score

Bullock County

Alabama

A

86.0

Water score

Chambers County

Alabama

A

86.0

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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