County water report

Denali Borough Water Report

Drinking-water compliance, watershed health, monitoring records, and river conditions for Denali Borough, Alaska.

Water grade

Water score

8.3

State rank

#12

of 22

Health violations

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

0.0%

79 water bodies assessed

Monitoring sites

62 recent measurements

Live streamflow

No gauge

NENANA R NR WINDY AK

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Denali Borough

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

Score: 8.3 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

0% impaired

79 bodies assessed

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

No gauge

NENANA R NR WINDY AK

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

62 recent readings

Source: EPA SDWIS · Safe Drinking Water Information System

Drinking Water Compliance

Compliance grade

Based on EPA SDWIS compliance history.

Water score

Higher scores indicate cleaner recent compliance records.

8.3/100

Health violations

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

409.3

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Data center water stress

Denali Borough has 1 facility in the DCWSI dataset.

ByCounty's DCWSI ranks this county #2809 nationally by combining its water score with mapped data center density.

DCWSI

5.0

0-100 index

Facility count

0.0 density percentile

Discharge estimate

Not reported

EPA CWA fields where available

Water vs median

-41.7

Compared with US county median

Mapped facilities

GDMS - GEP PROGRAM - ALASKA
ANDERSON
EPA ECHO

See the Denali Borough data-center report Review methodology

Data Center Water Budget Calculator

Estimate daily water use for a hypothetical facility in Denali Borough.

Facility size: 100 MW

1 MW1,000 MW

Cooling type

Utilization: 70%

40%100%

799K gallons/dayData Unavailable

County-level industrial water use data is unavailable for this county. Contact the county water authority directly for industrial withdrawal capacity.

Based on USGS 2020 water-use data and EPA-standard cooling intensity constants. Not a substitute for site-specific water rights analysis.

Editorial analysis

Understanding Denali Borough’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Denali Borough's water systems carry a failing grade, scoring 8.3 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). None of the assessed waterways are listed as impaired (0 of 79 water bodies) across Denali Borough's watersheds. Impairment does not mean tap water is unsafe — it measures ambient waterway conditions upstream of treatment, not finished drinking water.

Monitoring Network

EPA WQP

EPA's Water Quality Portal (WQP) aggregates monitoring data from federal, state, and tribal agencies. Denali Borough has limited coverage with 2 active monitoring sites with 62 recent measurements on record. Predominant monitoring categories include physical. 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 Denali Borough

Water Verdict

Denali Borough receives a poor water quality assessment with a grade of F and a score of 8.3 out of 100. The water supply has documented quality issues. Residents are strongly encouraged to use filtered or bottled water for drinking and to stay informed about utility improvement plans.

Violation Context

Denali Borough has recorded 3 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 409.3 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is high and signals significant water quality management issues.

Consumer Guidance

Drinking-water compliance in Denali Borough is rated Grade F, reflecting significant health-based violations in the recent reporting period. Denali Borough's drinking-water compliance score is 8.3 out of 100. An NSF 53 or NSF 58-certified filter is recommended for drinking and cooking water. Check the Consumer Confidence Report from your utility to identify the specific contaminants and required corrective actions — utilities are legally required to notify customers of violations. There are 2 active water-quality monitoring sites in Denali Borough. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the NENANA R gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Denali Borough has poorer water quality than the average county in Alaska. Its water score is 11.5 points lower than the state average, suggesting more challenges with contamination control or infrastructure than 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 Denali Borough's water environment

Official EPA Resources for Denali Borough

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Denali Borough

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Denali Borough

Consumer Confidence Reports (AK)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in Alaska

Clean Water Act §303(d)

Watershed Health

Impaired Water Bodies

0.0%

0 of 79 assessed

Mostly healthy

Top Impairment Causes

No specific impairment causes reported for the assessed water bodies in this county.

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

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

62 total readings

Most Measured

Physical

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).

Free tool

Estimate Your Water Costs

Water Cost Estimate

Household size

3 people · ~225 gal/day

Filter type

Annual Total

$558

Monthly

$47

Water Bill

$558/yr

Filter Cost

$0/yr

Safety Grade for Denali Borough: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.

Try the full calculator →

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the water quality in Denali Borough, Alaska?

Denali Borough, Alaska has a drinking-water quality grade of F with a score of 8.3/100, 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 Denali Borough?

Denali Borough 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 Denali Borough?

EPA ATTAINS assessments under Clean Water Act §303(d) indicate 0.0% of Denali Borough's 79 assessed water bodies are classified as impaired (0 impaired). 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 Denali Borough?

EPA's Water Quality Portal records 62 measurements from 2 monitoring sites in Denali Borough over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Physical. 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.

How does Denali Borough water compare to the Alaska average?

Denali Borough's SDWIS water quality score of 8.3/100 is lower than the Alaska state average of 19.8. The average water quality grade across Alaska is F, based on data from 22 counties with available SDWIS data.

Is tap water safe to drink in Denali Borough?

Based on EPA SDWIS data, Denali Borough has a water quality grade of F (8.3/100). This indicates below-average compliance with significant violations. Residents may want to consider home water filtration or independent testing. 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 Denali Borough have clean drinking water?

Denali Borough has 3 health-based drinking water violations according to EPA records. With a water quality score of 8.3/100 and grade F, 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 Denali Borough rank for water quality in Alaska?

Denali Borough ranks #12 out of 22 counties in Alaska by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 8.3/100, 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

Kodiak Island Borough

Alaska

6.8

Water score

Haines Borough

Alaska

10.4

Water score

Dillingham Census Area

Alaska

6.2

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.

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 May 14, 2026Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor

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