waterbycounty
EPA SDWIS

Sitka City and Borough Water Quality

Sitka City and Borough, Alaska

Water Grade

F

Water Score

33.3

Violations

5

State Rank

#6

of 22 (1 = best)

EPA SDWIS Compliance

Drinking Water Quality

Water Quality Grade

F

Based on EPA compliance history and violation data

Water Score

33.3/100

Higher = better quality

Health Violations

5

Health-based violations

Violation Rate

52.4%

Systems with violations

Water Advisory: Sitka City and Borough

Water Verdict

Sitka City and Borough receives a poor water quality assessment with a grade of F and a score of 33.3 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

Sitka City and Borough has recorded 5 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 52.4 violations per 1,000 residents, this rate is high and signals significant water quality management issues.

Consumer Guidance

Residents of Sitka City and 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 5 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

Sitka City and Borough has better water quality than the average county in Alaska. Its water score is 13.5 points higher than the state average, indicating stronger water system performance relative to neighboring counties.

Clean Water Act §303(d)

Watershed Health

Impaired Water Bodies

50.0%

1 of 2 assessed

Moderate concern

Top Impairment Causes

  • 1

    RESIDUES

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.

Live USGS Streamgage

River & Stream Conditions

Current Discharge

84.7cfs

May 14, 6:30 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

25%

Well below typical

Primary Streamgage

SAWMILL C NR SITKA AK

USGS site
15088000
Drainage area
38.7 sq mi
Long-term mean
338 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 Sitka City and Borough, Alaska?
Sitka City and Borough, Alaska has a drinking-water quality grade of F with a score of 33.3/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 5 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 Sitka City and Borough?
Sitka City and Borough has 5 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 Sitka City and Borough?
EPA ATTAINS assessments under Clean Water Act §303(d) indicate 50.0% of Sitka City and Borough's 2 assessed water bodies are classified as impaired (1 impaired). The top reported causes are RESIDUES. 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.
What's happening with rivers in Sitka City and Borough right now?
Sitka City and Borough's primary USGS streamgage on the SAWMILL C is currently reading 84.7 cubic feet per second — 25% of the long-term mean of 337.53 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 Sitka City and Borough water compare to the Alaska average?
Sitka City and Borough's SDWIS water quality score of 33.3/100 is higher 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 Sitka City and Borough?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Sitka City and Borough has a water quality grade of F (33.3/100). 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 Sitka City and Borough have clean drinking water?
Sitka City and Borough has 5 health-based drinking water violations according to EPA records. With a water quality score of 33.3/100 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 Sitka City and Borough rank for water quality in Alaska?
Sitka City and Borough ranks #6 out of 22 counties in Alaska by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 33.3/100, it falls in the top 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

Fairbanks North Star Borough

Alaska

D

47.8

Water score

Aleutians West Census Area

Alaska

F

16.8

Water score

Matanuska-Susitna Borough

Alaska

F

15.3

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.

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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