waterbycounty
Federal water data

County water report

Gooding County Water Report

Drinking-water compliance, watershed health, monitoring records, and river conditions for Gooding County, Idaho.

Water grade

F

Water score

38.3

State rank

#15

of 44

Health violations

3

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

40.7%

273 water bodies assessed

Monitoring sites

21

6,501 recent measurements

Live streamflow

63%

SNAKE RIVER BL LOWER SALMON FALLS NR HAGERMAN ID

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Gooding County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

F

Score: 38.3 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

3

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

41% impaired

273 bodies assessed

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

63% of mean

SNAKE RIVER BL LOWER SALMON FALLS NR HAGERMAN ID

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

21

6,501 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.

38.3/100

Health violations

3

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

36.4

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding Gooding County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Gooding County's water systems carry a failing grade, scoring 38.3 out of 100. Over the past five years, EPA SDWIS records 3 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 substantial 40.7% of assessed waterways are impaired (111 of 273 water bodies) across Gooding County's watersheds. The leading impairment causes are phosphorus, total and sedimentation/siltation. 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 2001-02-25T23:45:00.000-07:00) puts SNAKE RIVER BL LOWER SALMON FALLS at 5.3k cfs — running somewhat below its historical average at 63% of mean. 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. Gooding County has moderate coverage with 21 active monitoring sites with 6,501 recent measurements on record. Predominant monitoring categories include nutrient and physical. 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 Gooding County

Water Verdict

Gooding County receives a poor water quality assessment with a grade of F and a score of 38.3 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

Gooding County has recorded 3 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 36.4 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is high and signals significant water quality management issues.

Consumer Guidance

Drinking-water compliance in Gooding County is rated Grade F, reflecting significant health-based violations in the recent reporting period. Gooding County's drinking-water compliance score is 38.3 out of 100. The violation rate for Gooding County is 36.4 per 100,000 people served. An NSF 53 or NSF 58-certified filter is recommended for drinking and cooking water. Check the Consumer Confidence Report from your utility to identify the specific contaminants and required corrective actions — utilities are legally required to notify customers of violations. Phosphorus, Total is the leading impairment cause in Gooding County's watershed. With 21 active water-quality monitoring sites in Gooding County, data coverage is strong. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the SNAKE RIVER BL LOWER SALMON FALLS gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Gooding County has better water quality than the average county in Idaho. Its water score is 5.7 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 Gooding County's water environment

Watershed Impairment Causes (EPA ATTAINS)

  • 1

    Phosphorus (excess nutrients)

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

  • 2

    Sedimentation and siltation

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

  • 3

    Flow Regime Modification

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

Source: EPA ATTAINS · Reporting cycle 2022

Official EPA Resources for Gooding County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Gooding County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Gooding County

Consumer Confidence Reports (ID)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in Idaho

Clean Water Act §303(d)

Watershed Health

Impaired Water Bodies

40.7%

111 of 273 assessed

Moderate concern

Top Impairment Causes

  • 1

    PHOSPHORUS, TOTAL

  • 2

    SEDIMENTATION/SILTATION

  • 3

    FLOW REGIME MODIFICATION

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

21

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

6.5K

6,501 total readings

Most Measured

  • Nutrient
  • Physical
  • 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

5,330cfs

Feb 26, 6:45 AM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

63%

Below typical

Primary Streamgage

SNAKE RIVER BL LOWER SALMON FALLS NR HAGERMAN ID

USGS site
13135000
Drainage area
26,070 sq mi
Long-term mean
8,426 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 Gooding 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 →

Improve your water quality at home

Berkey filters remove 99.9%+ of contaminants from tap water.

Shop Berkey →

Sponsored

Test your tap water

Tap Score provides professional mail-in water testing.

Get Tested →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the water quality in Gooding County, Idaho?
Gooding County, Idaho has a drinking-water quality grade of F with a score of 38.3/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 3 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 Gooding County?
Gooding County has 3 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 Gooding County?
EPA ATTAINS assessments under Clean Water Act §303(d) indicate 40.7% of Gooding County's 273 assessed water bodies are classified as impaired (111 impaired). The top reported causes are PHOSPHORUS, TOTAL, SEDIMENTATION/SILTATION, FLOW REGIME MODIFICATION. 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 Gooding County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 6,501 measurements from 21 monitoring sites in Gooding County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Nutrient, Physical, 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 Gooding County right now?
Gooding County's primary USGS streamgage on the SNAKE RIVER BL LOWER SALMON FALLS has a pipeline snapshot of 5,330 cubic feet per second — 63% of the long-term mean of 8,425.94 cfs. Flow is within typical range for this gauge. For the latest gauge feed, visit waterdata.usgs.gov.
How does Gooding County water compare to the Idaho average?
Gooding County's SDWIS water quality score of 38.3/100 is higher than the Idaho state average of 32.6. The average water quality grade across Idaho is F, based on data from 44 counties with available SDWIS data.
Is tap water safe to drink in Gooding County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Gooding County has a water quality grade of F (38.3/100). 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 Gooding County have clean drinking water?
Gooding County has 3 health-based drinking water violations according to EPA records. With a water quality score of 38.3/100 and grade F, 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 Gooding County rank for water quality in Idaho?
Gooding County ranks #15 out of 44 counties in Idaho by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 38.3/100, 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

Caribou County

Idaho

F

36.7

Water score

Lincoln County

Idaho

F

35.8

Water score

Teton County

Idaho

F

35.7

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.

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

Explore more data for Gooding County

Property TaxCost of LivingCrime RateIncomeHealthSchoolsDisaster RiskWeatherCounty Score