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EPA SDWIS

Tuscaloosa County Water Quality

Tuscaloosa County, Alabama

Water Grade

B

Water Score

67.5

Violations

6

State Rank

#41

of 67 (1 = best)

EPA SDWIS Compliance

Drinking Water Quality

Water Quality Grade

B

Based on EPA compliance history and violation data

Water Score

67.5/100

Higher = better quality

Health Violations

6

Health-based violations

Violation Rate

2.2%

Systems with violations

Water Advisory: Tuscaloosa County

Water Verdict

Tuscaloosa County receives a fair water quality assessment with a grade of B and a score of 67.5 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

Tuscaloosa County has recorded 6 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 2.2 violations per 1,000 residents, this rate is relatively low compared to many U.S. counties.

Consumer Guidance

Tap water in Tuscaloosa County is generally safe to drink based on available data. Residents should still review their utility's annual Consumer Confidence Report for transparency on detected contaminants. With 6 recorded health violations, staying informed about utility communications and boil-water notices is especially important. For long-term peace of mind, request your utility's latest Consumer Confidence Report and consider independent water testing if you have specific health concerns.

Regional Context

Tuscaloosa County has water quality close to the average county in Alabama. Its water score is within 1.3 points of the state average, meaning its overall water system performance is broadly representative of Alabama as a whole.

Clean Water Act §303(d)

Watershed Health

Impaired Water Bodies

22.8%

13 of 57 assessed

Some impairment

Top Impairment Causes

  • 1

    FECAL COLIFORM

  • 2

    ESCHERICHIA COLI (E. COLI)

  • 3

    MERCURY

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

42

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

34K

33,854 total readings

Most Measured

  • Physical
  • Nutrient
  • 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

702cfs

May 14, 6:30 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

9%

Well below typical

Primary Streamgage

BLACK WARRIOR RIVER AT NORTHPORT AL

USGS site
02465000
Drainage area
4,820 sq mi
Long-term mean
8,000 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; "% of typical" compares the latest reading against that average.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the water quality in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama?
Tuscaloosa County, Alabama has a drinking-water quality grade of B with a score of 67.5/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 6 health-based drinking water violations over the past 5 years. Watershed health, monitoring records, and live streamflow are reported separately on this page.
Are there any water violations in Tuscaloosa County?
Tuscaloosa County has 6 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 Tuscaloosa County?
EPA ATTAINS assessments under Clean Water Act §303(d) indicate 22.8% of Tuscaloosa County's 57 assessed water bodies are classified as impaired (13 impaired). The top reported causes are FECAL COLIFORM, ESCHERICHIA COLI (E. COLI), MERCURY. 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 Tuscaloosa County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 33,854 measurements from 42 monitoring sites in Tuscaloosa County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Physical, Nutrient, 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 Tuscaloosa County right now?
Tuscaloosa County's primary USGS streamgage on the BLACK WARRIOR RIVER is currently reading 702 cubic feet per second — 9% of the long-term mean of 8,000.47 cfs. This is well below typical — often a signal of drought stress on source water. For genuine real-time data, visit waterdata.usgs.gov.
How does Tuscaloosa County water compare to the Alabama average?
Tuscaloosa County's SDWIS water quality score of 67.5/100 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 Tuscaloosa County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Tuscaloosa County has a water quality grade of B (67.5/100). 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).
Why does Tuscaloosa County have so many water violations?
Tuscaloosa County has 6 health-based drinking water violations on record from the EPA SDWIS database. A higher violation count can result from aging infrastructure, underfunded water utilities, agricultural runoff contamination, or industrial pollution. Counties with more water systems may also see more violations simply due to scale. Residents concerned about water quality should consider independent water testing and home filtration systems.
How does Tuscaloosa County rank for water quality in Alabama?
Tuscaloosa County ranks #41 out of 67 counties in Alabama by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 67.5/100, 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

Calhoun County

Alabama

B

67.8

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, 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 Logan Johnson, Founder & Data EditorUpdated Reviewed by Logan Johnson, Founder & Data Editor

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