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County water report

Madera County Water Report

Drinking-water compliance, watershed health, monitoring records, and river conditions for Madera County, California.

Water grade

F

Water score

8.8

State rank

#58

of 58

Health violations

519

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

28.6%

49 water bodies assessed

Monitoring sites

25

2,724 recent measurements

Live streamflow

No gauge

SAN JOAQUIN R BL CHOWCHILLA CN INTAKE NR MENDOTA

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Madera County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

F

Score: 8.8 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

519

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

29% impaired

49 bodies assessed

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

No gauge

SAN JOAQUIN R BL CHOWCHILLA CN INTAKE NR MENDOTA

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

25

2,724 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.

8.8/100

Health violations

519

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

385.0

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding Madera County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Madera County's water systems carry a failing grade, scoring 8.8 out of 100. Over the past five years, EPA SDWIS records 519 health-based violations — a pattern that public water utilities are required to disclose and correct.

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 28.6% of assessed waterways carry an impairment designation (14 of 49 water bodies) across Madera County's watersheds. The leading impairment causes are ph and mercury. 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. Madera County has moderate coverage with 25 active monitoring sites with 2,724 recent measurements on record. Predominant monitoring categories include organics, other and organics, pesticide. 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 Madera County

Water Verdict

Madera County receives a poor water quality assessment with a grade of F and a score of 8.8 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

Madera County has recorded 519 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 385.0 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is high and signals significant water quality management issues.

Consumer Guidance

Madera County has a Grade F compliance record with 519 health-based violations — among the highest levels in the country. Madera County's drinking-water compliance score is 8.8 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 California Department of Environmental Quality or Health can expedite utility compliance action. pH is the leading impairment cause in Madera County's watershed. With 25 active water-quality monitoring sites in Madera County, data coverage is strong. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the SAN JOAQUIN R BL CHOWCHILLA CN INTAKE gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Madera County has poorer water quality than the average county in California. Its water score is 35.8 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 Madera County's water environment

Watershed Impairment Causes (EPA ATTAINS)

  • 1

    pH imbalance

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

  • 2

    Mercury

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

  • 3

    Low dissolved oxygen

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

Source: EPA ATTAINS · Reporting cycle 2022

Official EPA Resources for Madera County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Madera County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Madera County

Consumer Confidence Reports (CA)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in California

Clean Water Act §303(d)

Watershed Health

Impaired Water Bodies

28.6%

14 of 49 assessed

Some impairment

Top Impairment Causes

  • 1

    PH

  • 2

    MERCURY

  • 3

    DISSOLVED OXYGEN

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

25

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

2.7K

2,724 total readings

Most Measured

  • Organics, Other
  • Organics, Pesticide
  • Physical

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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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 Madera County:C — Moderate

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 Madera County, California?
Madera County, California has a drinking-water quality grade of F with a score of 8.8/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 519 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 Madera County?
Madera County has 519 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 Madera County?
EPA ATTAINS assessments under Clean Water Act §303(d) indicate 28.6% of Madera County's 49 assessed water bodies are classified as impaired (14 impaired). The top reported causes are PH, MERCURY, DISSOLVED OXYGEN. 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 Madera County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 2,724 measurements from 25 monitoring sites in Madera County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Organics, Other, Organics, Pesticide, Physical. 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 Madera County water compare to the California average?
Madera County's SDWIS water quality score of 8.8/100 is lower than the California state average of 44.6. The average water quality grade across California is D, based on data from 58 counties with available SDWIS data.
Is tap water safe to drink in Madera County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Madera County has a water quality grade of F (8.8/100). 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 Madera County have so many water violations?
Madera County has 519 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 Madera County rank for water quality in California?
Madera County ranks #58 out of 58 counties in California by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 8.8/100, 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

Colusa County

California

F

13.1

Water score

Alpine County

California

F

13.8

Water score

Tehama County

California

F

15.7

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 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

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