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EPA SDWIS

Ketchikan Gateway Borough Water Quality

Ketchikan Gateway Borough, Alaska

Water Grade

F

Water Score

5.1

Violations

77

State Rank

#15

of 22 (1 = best)

EPA SDWIS Compliance

Drinking Water Quality

Water Quality Grade

F

Based on EPA compliance history and violation data

Water Score

5.1/100

Higher = better quality

Health Violations

77

Health-based violations

Violation Rate

711.8%

Systems with violations

Water Advisory: Ketchikan Gateway Borough

Water Verdict

Ketchikan Gateway Borough receives a poor water quality assessment with a grade of F and a score of 5.1 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

Ketchikan Gateway Borough has recorded 77 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 711.8 violations per 1,000 residents, this rate is high and signals significant water quality management issues.

Consumer Guidance

Residents of Ketchikan Gateway Borough are advised to use filtered or bottled water for drinking and cooking until water quality improves. A reverse-osmosis or activated-carbon filter certified to remove the contaminants listed in the utility's Consumer Confidence Report is recommended. With 77 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

Ketchikan Gateway Borough has poorer water quality than the average county in Alaska. Its water score is 14.7 points lower than the state average, suggesting more challenges with contamination control or infrastructure than neighboring counties.

Clean Water Act §303(d)

Watershed Health

Impaired Water Bodies

86.7%

13 of 15 assessed

High concern

Top Impairment Causes

  • 1

    FECAL COLIFORM

  • 2

    ENTEROCOCCUS

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

45

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

15K

14,727 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

7,700cfs

May 6, 4:00 AM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

148%

Well above typical

Primary Streamgage

UNUK R BL BLUE R NR WRANGELL AK

USGS site
15015595
Drainage area
745 sq mi
Long-term mean
5,210 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 Ketchikan Gateway Borough, Alaska?
Ketchikan Gateway Borough, Alaska has a drinking-water quality grade of F with a score of 5.1/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 77 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 Ketchikan Gateway Borough?
Ketchikan Gateway Borough has 77 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 Ketchikan Gateway Borough?
EPA ATTAINS assessments under Clean Water Act §303(d) indicate 86.7% of Ketchikan Gateway Borough's 15 assessed water bodies are classified as impaired (13 impaired). The top reported causes are FECAL COLIFORM, ENTEROCOCCUS. 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 Ketchikan Gateway Borough?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 14,727 measurements from 45 monitoring sites in Ketchikan Gateway Borough 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 Ketchikan Gateway Borough right now?
Ketchikan Gateway Borough's primary USGS streamgage on the UNUK R BL BLUE R is currently reading 7,700 cubic feet per second — 148% of the long-term mean of 5,210.33 cfs. This is well above typical — often a signal of recent precipitation or storm runoff. For genuine real-time data, visit waterdata.usgs.gov.
How does Ketchikan Gateway Borough water compare to the Alaska average?
Ketchikan Gateway Borough's SDWIS water quality score of 5.1/100 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 Ketchikan Gateway Borough?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Ketchikan Gateway Borough has a water quality grade of F (5.1/100). 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).
Why does Ketchikan Gateway Borough have so many water violations?
Ketchikan Gateway Borough has 77 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 Ketchikan Gateway Borough rank for water quality in Alaska?
Ketchikan Gateway Borough ranks #15 out of 22 counties in Alaska by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 5.1/100, 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

Dillingham Census Area

Alaska

F

6.2

Water score

Aleutians East Borough

Alaska

F

3.4

Water score

Kodiak Island Borough

Alaska

F

6.8

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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