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Federal water data

County water report

Northwest Arctic Borough Water Report

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

Water grade

F

Water score

0.3

State rank

#21

of 22

Health violations

431

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

Not reported

EPA ATTAINS coverage varies by state

Monitoring sites

38

17,625 recent measurements

Live streamflow

No gauge

KOBUK R NR KIANA AK

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Northwest Arctic Borough

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

F

Score: 0.3 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

431

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

Not reported

Coverage varies by state

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

No gauge

KOBUK R NR KIANA AK

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

38

17,625 recent readings

Source: EPA SDWIS · Safe Drinking Water Information System

Drinking Water Compliance

Compliance grade

F

Based on EPA SDWIS compliance history.

Water score

Higher scores indicate cleaner recent compliance records.

0.3/100

Health violations

431

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

5656.2

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding Northwest Arctic Borough’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Northwest Arctic Borough's water systems carry a failing grade, scoring 0.3 out of 100. Over the past five years, EPA SDWIS records 431 health-based violations — a pattern that public water utilities are required to disclose and correct.

Monitoring Network

EPA WQP

EPA's Water Quality Portal (WQP) aggregates monitoring data from federal, state, and tribal agencies. Northwest Arctic Borough has moderate coverage with 38 active monitoring sites with 17,625 recent measurements on record. Predominant monitoring categories include not assigned and 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 Northwest Arctic Borough

Water Verdict

Northwest Arctic Borough, Alaska receives a poor water quality assessment with a grade of F and a score of 0.3 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. The county's primary USGS gauge drains roughly 9,480 square miles of upstream watershed, giving local source waters a regional footprint.

Violation Context

EPA SDWIS records for Northwest Arctic Borough, Alaska show 431 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 5656.2 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is high and signals significant water quality management issues. This compliance record sits alongside an unusually deep monitoring archive: 17,625 water-quality results have been logged across the county in the EPA Water Quality Portal over the past five years.

Consumer Guidance

Northwest Arctic Borough has a Grade F compliance record with 431 health-based violations — among the highest levels in the country. Northwest Arctic Borough's drinking-water compliance score is 0.3 out of 100. Residents are strongly advised to use a certified NSF 58 reverse-osmosis filter or bottled water for all drinking and cooking until violations are corrected. Contacting the Alaska Department of Environmental Quality or Health can expedite utility compliance action. With 38 active water-quality monitoring sites in Northwest Arctic Borough, data coverage is strong. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the KOBUK R gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Northwest Arctic Borough has poorer water quality than the average county in Alaska. Its water score is 19.5 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 Northwest Arctic Borough's water environment

Official EPA Resources for Northwest Arctic Borough

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Northwest Arctic Borough

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Northwest Arctic Borough

Consumer Confidence Reports (AK)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in Alaska

Past 5 years

Water Quality Monitoring

Monitoring Sites

38

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

18K

17,625 total readings

Most Measured

  • Not Assigned
  • Physical
  • Physical, Habitat

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).

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Safety Grade for Northwest Arctic Borough:F — Failing

High violation count or severe watershed conditions.

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 Northwest Arctic Borough, Alaska?
Northwest Arctic Borough, Alaska has a drinking-water quality grade of F with a score of 0.3/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 431 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 Northwest Arctic Borough?
Northwest Arctic Borough has 431 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 much water-quality monitoring happens in Northwest Arctic Borough?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 17,625 measurements from 38 monitoring sites in Northwest Arctic Borough over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Not Assigned, Physical, Physical, Habitat. 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 Northwest Arctic Borough water compare to the Alaska average?
Northwest Arctic Borough's SDWIS water quality score of 0.3/100 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 Northwest Arctic Borough?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Northwest Arctic Borough has a water quality grade of F (0.3/100). 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).
Why does Northwest Arctic Borough have so many water violations?
Northwest Arctic Borough has 431 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 Northwest Arctic Borough rank for water quality in Alaska?
Northwest Arctic Borough ranks #21 out of 22 counties in Alaska by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 0.3/100, it falls in the bottom 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

Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area

Alaska

F

0.3

Water score

Lake and Peninsula Borough

Alaska

F

0.7

Water score

Nome Census Area

Alaska

F

1.0

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.

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 Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor

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