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EPA SDWIS

Pope County Water Quality

Pope County, Illinois

Water Grade

F

Water Score

12.9

Violations

15

State Rank

#99

of 102 (1 = best)

EPA SDWIS Compliance

Drinking Water Quality

Water Quality Grade

F

Based on EPA compliance history and violation data

Water Score

12.9/100

Higher = better quality

Health Violations

15

Health-based violations

Violation Rate

242.1%

Systems with violations

Water Advisory: Pope County

Water Verdict

Pope County receives a poor water quality assessment with a grade of F and a score of 12.9 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

Pope County has recorded 15 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 242.1 violations per 1,000 residents, this rate is high and signals significant water quality management issues.

Consumer Guidance

Residents of Pope County are advised to use filtered or bottled water for drinking and cooking until water quality improves. A reverse-osmosis or activated-carbon filter certified to remove the contaminants listed in the utility's Consumer Confidence Report is recommended. With 15 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

Pope County has poorer water quality than the average county in Illinois. Its water score is 34.9 points lower than the state average, suggesting more challenges with contamination control or infrastructure than neighboring counties.

Clean Water Act §303(d)

Watershed Health

Impaired Water Bodies

42.7%

85 of 199 assessed

Moderate concern

Top Impairment Causes

  • 1

    DISSOLVED OXYGEN

  • 2

    ALTERATION IN STREAM-SIDE OR LITTORAL VEGETATIVE COVERS

  • 3

    MERCURY

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

1

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

1.1K

1,130 total readings

Most Measured

  • Organics, Pesticide
  • Inorganics, Minor, Metals
  • 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).

Live USGS Streamgage

River & Stream Conditions

Current Discharge

316.0Kcfs

Jun 19, 4:56 AM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

158%

Well above typical

Primary Streamgage

OHIO RIVER AT SMITHLAND DAM, SMITHLAND, KY

USGS site
03399800
Drainage area
144,000 sq mi
Long-term mean
200.5K 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 Pope County, Illinois?
Pope County, Illinois has a drinking-water quality grade of F with a score of 12.9/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 15 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 Pope County?
Pope County has 15 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 Pope County?
EPA ATTAINS assessments under Clean Water Act §303(d) indicate 42.7% of Pope County's 199 assessed water bodies are classified as impaired (85 impaired). The top reported causes are DISSOLVED OXYGEN, ALTERATION IN STREAM-SIDE OR LITTORAL VEGETATIVE COVERS, MERCURY. 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 Pope County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 1,130 measurements from 1 monitoring sites in Pope County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Organics, Pesticide, Inorganics, Minor, Metals, 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.
What's happening with rivers in Pope County right now?
Pope County's primary USGS streamgage on the OHIO RIVER is currently reading 316,000 cubic feet per second — 158% of the long-term mean of 200,535.48 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 Pope County water compare to the Illinois average?
Pope County's SDWIS water quality score of 12.9/100 is lower than the Illinois state average of 47.8. The average water quality grade across Illinois is D, based on data from 102 counties with available SDWIS data.
Is tap water safe to drink in Pope County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Pope County has a water quality grade of F (12.9/100). 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 Pope County have so many water violations?
Pope County has 15 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 Pope County rank for water quality in Illinois?
Pope County ranks #99 out of 102 counties in Illinois by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 12.9/100, 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

Bond County

Illinois

F

11.9

Water score

Scott County

Illinois

F

11.9

Water score

LaSalle County

Illinois

F

15.3

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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