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Federal water data

County water report

Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area Water Report

Drinking-water compliance, watershed health, monitoring records, and river conditions for Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area, Alaska.

Water grade

N/A

Water score

N/A

State rank

N/A

Health violations

N/A

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

100.0%

13 water bodies assessed

Monitoring sites

10

4,738 recent measurements

Live streamflow

100%

SALMON R NR HYDER AK

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

N/A

Insufficient data

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

N/A

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

100% impaired

13 bodies assessed

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

100% of mean

SALMON R NR HYDER AK

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

10

4,738 recent readings

Source: EPA SDWIS · Safe Drinking Water Information System

Drinking Water Compliance

Editorial analysis

Understanding Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area has limited drinking water data on file. Violation data are unavailable for this county.

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 large majority — 100.0% — of assessed waterways are impaired (13 of 13 water bodies) across Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area's watersheds. The leading impairment causes are fecal coliform and enterococcus. 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 2026-05-14T10:45:00.000-08:00) puts SALMON R at 1.1k cfs — near its historical average at 100% of mean flow. 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. Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area has moderate coverage with 10 active monitoring sites with 4,738 recent measurements on record. Predominant monitoring categories include physical and inorganics, minor, metals. 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 Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area

Water Verdict

Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area does not have sufficient EPA SDWIS water quality data to determine an overall assessment. Residents should contact their local water utility for the most recent Consumer Confidence Report.

Violation Context

Health-based violation data is not available for Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area. EPA health violations occur when water systems exceed allowable contaminant levels or fail to meet treatment requirements. Residents should request the latest Consumer Confidence Report from their water provider.

Consumer Guidance

Drinking-water compliance data is not yet available for Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area in the EPA SDWIS system, which is common for rural areas and census areas served by private wells or small tribal systems. Residents should contact their local utility or state drinking-water agency for the most current Consumer Confidence Report. Using an NSF-certified filter (look for certifications against ANSI/NSF 53 or 58) can provide additional safety margin for any unconfirmed contaminants. Fecal Coliform is the leading impairment cause in Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area's watershed. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the SALMON R gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

State-level water quality comparison data is not available for Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area. When data is available, this section will show how the county's water quality compares to other counties in Alaska.

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 Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area's water environment

Watershed Impairment Causes (EPA ATTAINS)

  • 1

    Fecal coliform bacteria

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

  • 2

    Enterococcus bacteria

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

Source: EPA ATTAINS · Reporting cycle 2022

Official EPA Resources for Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area

Consumer Confidence Reports (AK)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in Alaska

Clean Water Act §303(d)

Watershed Health

Impaired Water Bodies

100.0%

13 of 13 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

10

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

4.7K

4,738 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

1,080cfs

May 14, 6:45 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

100%

Near typical

Primary Streamgage

SALMON R NR HYDER AK

USGS site
15008000
Drainage area
107 sq mi
Long-term mean
1,085 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 Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area: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.

Try the full calculator →

Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area has good water quality

Learn about water restrictions and conservation in your area.

Water Restrictions →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the water quality in Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area, Alaska?
Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area, Alaska has a drinking-water quality grade of N/A with a score of N/A/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. Compliance data is currently unavailable. Watershed health, monitoring records, and streamflow snapshots are reported separately on this page.
Are there any water violations in Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area?
Violation data for Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area is not currently available. Health-based violations indicate instances where contaminant levels exceeded EPA Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs).
How healthy are the watersheds in Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area?
EPA ATTAINS assessments under Clean Water Act §303(d) indicate 100.0% of Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area's 13 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 Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 4,738 measurements from 10 monitoring sites in Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area 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 Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area right now?
Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area's primary USGS streamgage on the SALMON R has a pipeline snapshot of 1,080 cubic feet per second — 100% of the long-term mean of 1,084.61 cfs. Flow is within typical range for this gauge. For the latest gauge feed, visit waterdata.usgs.gov.
How does Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area water compare to the Alaska average?
Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area's SDWIS water quality score of N/A/100 is not available for comparison. 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 Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area has a water quality grade of N/A (N/A/100). Insufficient data is available to fully assess 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 Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area have clean drinking water?
Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area has no reported health-based drinking water violations according to EPA records. With a water quality score of N/A/100 and grade N/A, 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 is water quality measured?
WaterByCounty layers four federal datasets per county. The A–F drinking-water grade comes from EPA SDWIS (Safe Drinking Water Act compliance, 5-year violation lookback). The Watershed Health zone surfaces EPA ATTAINS §303(d) impairment data. The Monitoring zone summarizes EPA Water Quality Portal records. The Streamflow zone reports the latest USGS NWIS reading from the county's primary streamgage. Each is reported separately so you can see where the water is actually weakest.

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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