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Federal water data

County water report

Walton County Water Report

Drinking-water compliance, watershed health, monitoring records, and river conditions for Walton County, Georgia.

Water grade

C

Water score

59.6

State rank

#105

of 159

Health violations

5

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

60.0%

25 water bodies assessed

Monitoring sites

7

2,199 recent measurements

Live streamflow

33%

APALACHEE RIVER AT SNOWS MILL RD, NR BISHOP, GA

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Walton County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

C

Score: 59.6 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

5

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

60% impaired

25 bodies assessed

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

33% of mean

APALACHEE RIVER AT SNOWS MILL RD, NR BISHOP, GA

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

7

2,199 recent readings

Source: EPA SDWIS · Safe Drinking Water Information System

Drinking Water Compliance

Compliance grade

C

Based on EPA SDWIS compliance history.

Water score

Higher scores indicate cleaner recent compliance records.

59.6/100

Health violations

5

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

6.6

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Data center water stress

Walton County has 1 facility in the DCWSI dataset.

ByCounty's DCWSI ranks this county #1289 nationally by combining its water score with mapped data center density.

DCWSIThe Data Center Water Stress Index: 60% the county's water-system stress plus 40% how concentrated data centers already are, scored 0-100. Higher means data-center density and water pressure overlap more here.

35.8

0-100 index

Facility count

1

0.0 density percentile

Discharge estimate

Not reported

EPA CWA fields where available

Water vs median

+9.6

Compared with US county median

Mapped facilities

  • MORNING HORNET, LLC

    SOCIAL CIRCLE

    EPA ECHO
See the Walton County data-center reportReview methodology

Data Center Water Budget Calculator

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

1 MW1,000 MW
40%100%
799K gallons/dayHigh Impact

Your facility would use 386.0% of this county's industrial water baseline. Verify water rights and long-term drought projections before committing.

386.0% of county industrial baseline

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 Walton County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Walton County's drinking water earned a C grade, scoring 59.6 out of 100. Over the past five years, EPA SDWIS records 5 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 large majority — 60.0% — of assessed waterways are impaired (15 of 25 water bodies) across Walton County's watersheds. The leading impairment causes are fecal coliform and ph. 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 2026-05-14T14:45:00.000-04:00) puts APALACHEE RIVER at 57.8 cfs — well below its long-term average at 33% of mean — low-flow conditions worth noting for water-dependent ecosystems. 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. Walton County has limited coverage with 7 active monitoring sites with 2,199 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 Walton County

Water Verdict

Walton County receives a fair water quality assessment with a grade of C and a score of 59.6 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

Walton County has recorded 5 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 6.6 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is moderate and suggests recurring water quality challenges.

Consumer Guidance

Tap water in Walton County meets baseline standards but the compliance record shows room for improvement, with a Grade C rating. Walton County's drinking-water compliance score is 59.6 out of 100. The violation rate for Walton County is 6.6 per 100,000 people served. Residents who are immunocompromised, pregnant, or have young children may benefit from using an NSF 53-certified filter. Contacting your local utility for the current Consumer Confidence Report will confirm which specific violations were recorded and whether they have been resolved. Fecal Coliform is the leading impairment cause in Walton County's watershed. There are 7 active water-quality monitoring sites in Walton County. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the APALACHEE RIVER gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Walton County has water quality close to the average county in Georgia. Its water score is within 4.8 points of the state average, meaning its overall water system performance is broadly representative of Georgia as a whole.

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 Walton County's water environment

Watershed Impairment Causes (EPA ATTAINS)

  • 1

    Fecal coliform bacteria

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

  • 2

    pH imbalance

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

  • 3

    Fish Bioassessments

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

Source: EPA ATTAINS · Reporting cycle 2022

Official EPA Resources for Walton County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Walton County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Walton County

Consumer Confidence Reports (GA)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in Georgia

Clean Water Act §303(d)

Watershed Health

Impaired Water Bodies

60.0%

15 of 25 assessed

High concern

Top Impairment Causes

  • 1

    FECAL COLIFORM

  • 2

    PH

  • 3

    FISH BIOASSESSMENTS

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

7

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

2.2K

2,199 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

57.8cfs

May 14, 6:45 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

33%

Well below typical

Primary Streamgage

APALACHEE RIVER AT SNOWS MILL RD, NR BISHOP, GA

USGS site
02218900
Drainage area
142 sq mi
Long-term mean
178 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

3

3 people  ·  ~225 gal/day

Annual Total

$558

Monthly

$47

Water Bill

$558/yr

Filter Cost

$0/yr

Safety Grade for Walton County:D — Poor

Elevated violations or significant watershed impairment.

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 Walton County, Georgia?
Walton County, Georgia has a drinking-water quality grade of C with a score of 59.6/100, 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 streamflow snapshots are reported separately on this page.
Are there any water violations in Walton County?
Walton County 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 Walton County?
EPA ATTAINS assessments under Clean Water Act §303(d) indicate 60.0% of Walton County's 25 assessed water bodies are classified as impaired (15 impaired). The top reported causes are FECAL COLIFORM, PH, FISH BIOASSESSMENTS. 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 Walton County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 2,199 measurements from 7 monitoring sites in Walton 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 Walton County right now?
Walton County's primary USGS streamgage on the APALACHEE RIVER has a pipeline snapshot of 57.8 cubic feet per second — 33% of the long-term mean of 177.72 cfs. This is well below typical — often a signal of drought stress on source water. For the latest gauge feed, visit waterdata.usgs.gov.
How does Walton County water compare to the Georgia average?
Walton County's SDWIS water quality score of 59.6/100 is lower than the Georgia state average of 64.4. The average water quality grade across Georgia is C, based on data from 159 counties with available SDWIS data.
Is tap water safe to drink in Walton County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Walton County has a water quality grade of C (59.6/100). This indicates moderate compliance. Some violations have been recorded but overall standards are maintained. 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 Walton County have clean drinking water?
Walton County has 5 health-based drinking water violations according to EPA records. With a water quality score of 59.6/100 and grade C, 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 Walton County rank for water quality in Georgia?
Walton County ranks #105 out of 159 counties in Georgia by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 59.6/100, 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

Fayette County

Georgia

C

59.4

Water score

Clarke County

Georgia

C

59.1

Water score

Columbia County

Georgia

C

60.1

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 Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor

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