County water report

Moffat County Water Report

Drinking-water compliance, watershed health, monitoring records, and river conditions for Moffat County, Colorado.

Water grade

Water score

47.7

State rank

#25

of 64

Health violations

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

28.4%

141 water bodies assessed

Monitoring sites

8,305 recent measurements

Live streamflow

98%

YAMPA RIVER AT DEERLODGE PARK, CO

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Moffat County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

Score: 47.7 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

28% impaired

141 bodies assessed

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

98% of mean

YAMPA RIVER AT DEERLODGE PARK, CO

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

8,305 recent readings

Source: EPA SDWIS · Safe Drinking Water Information System

Drinking Water Compliance

Compliance grade

Based on EPA SDWIS compliance history.

Water score

Higher scores indicate cleaner recent compliance records.

47.7/100

Health violations

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

19.8

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Data center water stress

Moffat County has 1 facility in the DCWSI dataset.

ByCounty's DCWSI ranks this county #1629 nationally by combining its water score with mapped data center density.

DCWSI

28.6

0-100 index

Facility count

0.0 density percentile

Discharge estimate

Not reported

EPA CWA fields where available

Water vs median

-2.3

Compared with US county median

Mapped facilities

GRMR OIL AND GAS - DEAL GULCH PRODUCTION
HAMILTON AREA
EPA ECHO

See the Moffat County data-center report Review methodology

Data Center Water Budget Calculator

Estimate daily water use for a hypothetical facility in Moffat County.

Facility size: 100 MW

1 MW1,000 MW

Cooling type

Utilization: 70%

40%100%

799K gallons/dayData Unavailable

County-level industrial water use data is unavailable for this county. Contact the county water authority directly for industrial withdrawal capacity.

Based on USGS 2020 water-use data and EPA-standard cooling intensity constants. Not a substitute for site-specific water rights analysis.

Editorial analysis

Understanding Moffat County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Moffat County's drinking water received a D grade, scoring 47.7 out of 100. Over the past five years, EPA SDWIS records 2 health-based violations — a small cluster that warrants attention.

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 28.4% of assessed waterways carry an impairment designation (40 of 141 water bodies) across Moffat County's watersheds. The leading impairment causes are arsenic and temperature. 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 2026-05-14T12:15:00.000-06:00) puts YAMPA RIVER at 2.0k cfs — near its historical average at 98% 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. Moffat County has moderate coverage with 18 active monitoring sites with 8,305 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 Moffat County

Water Verdict

Moffat County receives a below-average water quality assessment with a grade of D and a score of 47.7 out of 100. Residents should review their utility's Consumer Confidence Report and may want to consider additional water filtration for drinking.

Violation Context

Moffat County has recorded 2 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 19.8 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is high and signals significant water quality management issues.

Consumer Guidance

Moffat County's drinking-water compliance is below average with a Grade D, indicating repeated or unresolved violations in the recent record. Moffat County's drinking-water compliance score is 47.7 out of 100. The violation rate for Moffat County is 19.8 per 100,000 people served. Residents are encouraged to use an NSF 53 or NSF 58-certified filter for drinking and cooking water until the underlying violations are resolved. Running tap water for 30 seconds before use and avoiding older lead-pipe connections can also reduce exposure risk. The current Consumer Confidence Report from your utility will specify the contaminants of concern. Arsenic is the leading impairment cause in Moffat County's watershed. With 18 active water-quality monitoring sites in Moffat County, data coverage is strong. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the YAMPA RIVER gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Moffat County has better water quality than the average county in Colorado. Its water score is 9 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 Moffat County's water environment

Watershed Impairment Causes (EPA ATTAINS)

1
Arsenic
Impairment cause per EPA Clean Water Act §303(d) assessment
2
Elevated temperature
Impairment cause per EPA Clean Water Act §303(d) assessment
3
Sediment
Impairment cause per EPA Clean Water Act §303(d) assessment

Source: EPA ATTAINS · Reporting cycle 2022

Official EPA Resources for Moffat County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Moffat County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Moffat County

Consumer Confidence Reports (CO)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in Colorado

Clean Water Act §303(d)

Watershed Health

Impaired Water Bodies

28.4%

40 of 141 assessed

Some impairment

Top Impairment Causes

1
ARSENIC
2
TEMPERATURE
3
SEDIMENT

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

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

8.3K

8,305 total readings

Most Measured

Physical
Nutrient
Inorganics, Major, Non-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).

Live USGS Streamgage

River & Stream Conditions

Current Discharge

2,010cfs

May 14, 6:15 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

98%

Near typical

Primary Streamgage

YAMPA RIVER AT DEERLODGE PARK, CO

USGS site: 09260050
Drainage area: 7,931 sq mi
Long-term mean: 2,050 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

Household size

3 people · ~225 gal/day

Filter type

Annual Total

$558

Monthly

$47

Water Bill

$558/yr

Filter Cost

$0/yr

Safety Grade for Moffat 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.

Try the full calculator →

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the water quality in Moffat County, Colorado?

Moffat County, Colorado has a drinking-water quality grade of D with a score of 47.7/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 2 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 Moffat County?

Moffat County has 2 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 Moffat County?

EPA ATTAINS assessments under Clean Water Act §303(d) indicate 28.4% of Moffat County's 141 assessed water bodies are classified as impaired (40 impaired). The top reported causes are ARSENIC, TEMPERATURE, SEDIMENT. 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 Moffat County?

EPA's Water Quality Portal records 8,305 measurements from 18 monitoring sites in Moffat County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Physical, Nutrient, Inorganics, Major, Non-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.

What's happening with rivers in Moffat County right now?

Moffat County's primary USGS streamgage on the YAMPA RIVER has a pipeline snapshot of 2,010 cubic feet per second — 98% of the long-term mean of 2,050.46 cfs. Flow is within typical range for this gauge. For the latest gauge feed, visit waterdata.usgs.gov.

How does Moffat County water compare to the Colorado average?

Moffat County's SDWIS water quality score of 47.7/100 is higher than the Colorado state average of 38.7. The average water quality grade across Colorado is F, based on data from 64 counties with available SDWIS data.

Is tap water safe to drink in Moffat County?

Based on EPA SDWIS data, Moffat County has a water quality grade of D (47.7/100). 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 Moffat County have clean drinking water?

Moffat County has 2 health-based drinking water violations according to EPA records. With a water quality score of 47.7/100 and grade D, 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 Moffat County rank for water quality in Colorado?

Moffat County ranks #25 out of 64 counties in Colorado by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 47.7/100, 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.

Counties with Similar Water Quality

Larimer County

Colorado

46.6

Water score

Pitkin County

Colorado

49.7

Water score

Eagle County

Colorado

49.9

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 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 May 14, 2026Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor

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