waterbycounty

County water report

Poinsett County Water Report

Drinking-water compliance, watershed health, monitoring records, and river conditions for Poinsett County, Arkansas.

Water grade

B

Water score

64.1

State rank

#30

of 75

Health violations

1

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

21.6%

236 water bodies assessed

Monitoring sites

11

3,481 recent measurements

Live streamflow

No gauge

L'ANGUILLE R NR WHITEHALL, AR

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Poinsett County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

B

Score: 64.1 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

1

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

22% impaired

236 bodies assessed

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

No gauge

L'ANGUILLE R NR WHITEHALL, AR

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

11

3,481 recent readings

Source: EPA SDWIS · Safe Drinking Water Information System

Drinking Water Compliance

Compliance grade

B

Based on EPA SDWIS compliance history.

Water score

Higher scores indicate cleaner recent compliance records.

64.1/100

Health violations

1

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

4.1

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding Poinsett County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Poinsett County earns a B grade for drinking water quality, scoring 64.1 out of 100. Over the past five years, EPA SDWIS records 1 health-based violation — a single incident worth monitoring.

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 notable 21.6% of assessed waterways carry an impairment designation (51 of 236 water bodies) across Poinsett County's watersheds. The leading impairment causes are turbidity - base flows and turbidity - storm flows. 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. Poinsett County has moderate coverage with 11 active monitoring sites with 3,481 recent measurements on record. Predominant monitoring categories include physical and nutrient. 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 Poinsett County

Water Verdict

Poinsett County receives a fair water quality assessment with a grade of B and a score of 64.1 out of 100. The water supply meets baseline federal standards, but there may be periods of elevated contaminant levels or infrastructure concerns worth monitoring.

Violation Context

Poinsett County has recorded 1 health-based violation, meaning the water system experienced at least one exceedance of federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements. At 4.1 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is moderate and suggests recurring water quality challenges.

Consumer Guidance

Tap water in Poinsett County scores well above average for drinking-water safety. Poinsett County's drinking-water compliance score is 64.1 out of 100. With 1 recorded health violation, the water supply is generally reliable. The violation rate for Poinsett County is 4.1 per 100,000 people served. Households with infants, pregnant individuals, or immunocompromised members may want to use an NSF 53-certified pitcher filter as a low-cost precaution. Turbidity - Base Flows is the leading impairment cause in Poinsett County's watershed. With 11 active water-quality monitoring sites in Poinsett County, data coverage is strong. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the L'ANGUILLE R gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Poinsett County has better water quality than the average county in Arkansas. Its water score is 16.5 points higher than the state average, indicating stronger water system performance relative to 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 Poinsett County's water environment

Watershed Impairment Causes (EPA ATTAINS)

  • 1

    High turbidity

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

  • 2

    Turbidity - Storm Flows

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

  • 3

    Dissolved Oxygen - Critical

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

Source: EPA ATTAINS · Reporting cycle 2022

Official EPA Resources for Poinsett County

Clean Water Act §303(d)

Watershed Health

Impaired Water Bodies

21.6%

51 of 236 assessed

Some impairment

Top Impairment Causes

  • 1

    TURBIDITY - BASE FLOWS

  • 2

    TURBIDITY - STORM FLOWS

  • 3

    DISSOLVED OXYGEN - CRITICAL

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

11

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

3.5K

3,481 total readings

Most Measured

  • Physical
  • Nutrient
  • Inorganics, Minor, Metals

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

3

3 people  ·  ~225 gal/day

Annual Total

$558

Monthly

$47

Water Bill

$558/yr

Filter Cost

$0/yr

Safety Grade for Poinsett County:CModerate

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.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the water quality in Poinsett County, Arkansas?
Poinsett County, Arkansas has a drinking-water quality grade of B with a score of 64.1/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 1 health-based drinking water violation over the past 5 years. Watershed health, monitoring records, and streamflow snapshots are reported separately on this page.
Are there any water violations in Poinsett County?
Poinsett County has 1 health-based drinking water violation 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 Poinsett County?
EPA ATTAINS assessments under Clean Water Act §303(d) indicate 21.6% of Poinsett County's 236 assessed water bodies are classified as impaired (51 impaired). The top reported causes are TURBIDITY - BASE FLOWS, TURBIDITY - STORM FLOWS, DISSOLVED OXYGEN - CRITICAL. 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 Poinsett County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 3,481 measurements from 11 monitoring sites in Poinsett County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Physical, Nutrient, Inorganics, Minor, Metals. 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 Poinsett County water compare to the Arkansas average?
Poinsett County's SDWIS water quality score of 64.1/100 is higher than the Arkansas state average of 47.6. The average water quality grade across Arkansas is D, based on data from 75 counties with available SDWIS data.
Is tap water safe to drink in Poinsett County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Poinsett County has a water quality grade of B (64.1/100). This indicates good to excellent water quality with strong SDWIS 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 Poinsett County have clean drinking water?
Poinsett County has 1 health-based drinking water violation according to EPA records. With a water quality score of 64.1/100 and grade B, 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 Poinsett County rank for water quality in Arkansas?
Poinsett County ranks #30 out of 75 counties in Arkansas by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 64.1/100, 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.

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 Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor