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County water report

Tallapoosa County Water Report

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

Water grade

B

Water score

65.8

State rank

#44

of 67

Health violations

2

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

17.0%

47 water bodies assessed

Monitoring sites

86

23,910 recent measurements

Live streamflow

38%

TALLAPOOSA RIVER NR NEW SITE, AL.(HORSESHOE BEND)

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Tallapoosa County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

B

Score: 65.8 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

2

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

17% impaired

47 bodies assessed

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

38% of mean

TALLAPOOSA RIVER NR NEW SITE, AL.(HORSESHOE BEND)

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

86

23,910 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.

65.8/100

Health violations

2

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

3.1

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding Tallapoosa County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Tallapoosa County earns a B grade for drinking water quality, scoring 65.8 out of 100. Over the past five years, EPA SDWIS records 2 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 notable 17.0% of assessed waterways carry an impairment designation (8 of 47 water bodies) across Tallapoosa County's watersheds. The leading impairment causes are mercury and escherichia coli (e. coli). 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 2026-05-14T13:30:00.000-05:00) puts TALLAPOOSA RIVER at 1.2k cfs — well below its long-term average at 38% 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. Tallapoosa County has extensive coverage with 86 active monitoring sites with 23,910 recent measurements on record. Predominant monitoring categories include physical and microbiological. 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 Tallapoosa County

Water Verdict

Tallapoosa County receives a fair water quality assessment with a grade of B and a score of 65.8 out of 100. The water supply meets baseline federal standards, but there may be periods of elevated contaminant levels or infrastructure concerns worth monitoring.

Violation Context

Tallapoosa County has recorded 2 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 3.1 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is moderate and suggests recurring water quality challenges.

Consumer Guidance

Tap water in Tallapoosa County scores well above average for drinking-water safety. Tallapoosa County's drinking-water compliance score is 65.8 out of 100. With 2 recorded health violations, the water supply is generally reliable. The violation rate for Tallapoosa County is 3.1 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. Mercury is the leading impairment cause in Tallapoosa County's watershed. With 86 active water-quality monitoring sites in Tallapoosa County, data coverage is strong. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the TALLAPOOSA RIVER gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Tallapoosa County has water quality close to the average county in Alabama. Its water score is within 3 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 Tallapoosa County's water environment

Watershed Impairment Causes (EPA ATTAINS)

  • 1

    Mercury

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

  • 2

    E. coli (bacteria)

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

  • 3

    Biochemical Oxygen Demand (Bod)

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

Source: EPA ATTAINS · Reporting cycle 2022

Official EPA Resources for Tallapoosa County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Tallapoosa County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Tallapoosa County

Consumer Confidence Reports (AL)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in Alabama

Clean Water Act §303(d)

Watershed Health

Impaired Water Bodies

17.0%

8 of 47 assessed

Some impairment

Top Impairment Causes

  • 1

    MERCURY

  • 2

    ESCHERICHIA COLI (E. COLI)

  • 3

    BIOCHEMICAL OXYGEN DEMAND (BOD)

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

86

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

24K

23,910 total readings

Most Measured

  • Physical
  • Microbiological
  • 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

1,160cfs

May 14, 6:30 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

38%

Well below typical

Primary Streamgage

TALLAPOOSA RIVER NR NEW SITE, AL.(HORSESHOE BEND)

USGS site
02414715
Drainage area
2,058 sq mi
Long-term mean
3,043 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 Tallapoosa 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 Tallapoosa County, Alabama?
Tallapoosa County, Alabama has a drinking-water quality grade of B with a score of 65.8/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 2 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 Tallapoosa County?
Tallapoosa County has 2 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 Tallapoosa County?
EPA ATTAINS assessments under Clean Water Act §303(d) indicate 17.0% of Tallapoosa County's 47 assessed water bodies are classified as impaired (8 impaired). The top reported causes are MERCURY, ESCHERICHIA COLI (E. COLI), BIOCHEMICAL OXYGEN DEMAND (BOD). 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 Tallapoosa County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 23,910 measurements from 86 monitoring sites in Tallapoosa County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Physical, Microbiological, 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 Tallapoosa County right now?
Tallapoosa County's primary USGS streamgage on the TALLAPOOSA RIVER has a pipeline snapshot of 1,160 cubic feet per second — 38% of the long-term mean of 3,042.51 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 Tallapoosa County water compare to the Alabama average?
Tallapoosa County's SDWIS water quality score of 65.8/100 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 Tallapoosa County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Tallapoosa County has a water quality grade of B (65.8/100). 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 Tallapoosa County have clean drinking water?
Tallapoosa County has 2 health-based drinking water violations according to EPA records. With a water quality score of 65.8/100 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 Tallapoosa County rank for water quality in Alabama?
Tallapoosa County ranks #44 out of 67 counties in Alabama by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 65.8/100, 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

Baldwin County

Alabama

B

65.3

Water score

Etowah County

Alabama

B

67.1

Water score

Pike 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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