waterbycounty
EPA SDWIS

Placer County Water Quality

Placer County, California

Water Grade

A

Water Score

69.8

Violations

4

State Rank

#4

of 58 (1 = best)

EPA SDWIS Compliance

Drinking Water Quality

Water Quality Grade

A

Based on EPA compliance history and violation data

Water Score

69.8/100

Higher = better quality

Health Violations

4

Health-based violations

Violation Rate

1.0%

Systems with violations

Water Advisory: Placer County

Water Verdict

Placer County receives a fair water quality assessment with a grade of A and a score of 69.8 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

Placer County has recorded 4 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 1.0 violations per 1,000 residents, this rate is relatively low compared to many U.S. counties.

Consumer Guidance

Tap water in Placer County is generally safe to drink based on available data. Residents should still review their utility's annual Consumer Confidence Report for transparency on detected contaminants. With 4 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

Placer County has better water quality than the average county in California. Its water score is 25.2 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

41.8%

38 of 91 assessed

Moderate concern

Top Impairment Causes

  • 1

    TOXICITY

  • 2

    MERCURY

  • 3

    CYPERMETHRIN

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

41

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

13K

13,016 total readings

Most Measured

  • Physical
  • Nutrient
  • Organics, Other

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

498cfs

May 14, 6:45 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

168%

Well above typical

Primary Streamgage

TRUCKEE R NR TRUCKEE CA

USGS site
10338000
Drainage area
553 sq mi
Long-term mean
297 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 Placer County, California?
Placer County, California has a drinking-water quality grade of A with a score of 69.8/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 4 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 Placer County?
Placer County has 4 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 Placer County?
EPA ATTAINS assessments under Clean Water Act §303(d) indicate 41.8% of Placer County's 91 assessed water bodies are classified as impaired (38 impaired). The top reported causes are TOXICITY, MERCURY, CYPERMETHRIN. 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 Placer County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 13,016 measurements from 41 monitoring sites in Placer County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Physical, Nutrient, Organics, Other. 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 Placer County right now?
Placer County's primary USGS streamgage on the TRUCKEE R is currently reading 498 cubic feet per second — 168% of the long-term mean of 296.67 cfs. This is well above typical — often a signal of recent precipitation or storm runoff. For genuine real-time data, visit waterdata.usgs.gov.
How does Placer County water compare to the California average?
Placer County's SDWIS water quality score of 69.8/100 is higher 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 Placer County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Placer County has a water quality grade of A (69.8/100). 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 Placer County have clean drinking water?
Placer County has 4 health-based drinking water violations according to EPA records. With a water quality score of 69.8/100 and grade 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 does Placer County rank for water quality in California?
Placer County ranks #4 out of 58 counties in California by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 69.8/100, 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

Sacramento County

California

B

69.0

Water score

Orange County

California

A

71.5

Water score

Alameda County

California

A

71.9

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.

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 Logan Johnson, Founder & Data EditorUpdated Reviewed by Logan Johnson, Founder & Data Editor

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