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County water report

Pulaski County Water Report

Drinking-water compliance, watershed health, monitoring records, and river conditions for Pulaski County, Illinois.

Water grade

F

Water score

41.0

State rank

#58

of 102

Health violations

1

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

47.7%

86 water bodies assessed

Monitoring sites

6

15,194 recent measurements

Live streamflow

53%

OHIO RIVER AT OLMSTED, IL

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Pulaski County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

F

Score: 41.0 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

1

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

48% impaired

86 bodies assessed

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

53% of mean

OHIO RIVER AT OLMSTED, IL

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

6

15,194 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.

41.0/100

Health violations

1

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

30.5

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding Pulaski County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Pulaski County's water systems carry a failing grade, scoring 41.0 out of 100. Over the past five years, EPA SDWIS records 1 health-based violation — a single incident worth monitoring.

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 47.7% of assessed waterways are impaired (41 of 86 water bodies) across Pulaski County's watersheds. The leading impairment causes are dissolved oxygen and alteration in stream-side or littoral vegetative covers. 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 2026-05-14T14:00:00.000-05:00) puts OHIO RIVER at 181.0k cfs — well below its long-term average at 53% 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. Pulaski County has limited coverage with 6 active monitoring sites with 15,194 recent measurements on record. Predominant monitoring categories include organics, pesticide 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 Pulaski County

Water Verdict

Pulaski County receives a below-average water quality assessment with a grade of F and a score of 41.0 out of 100. Residents should review their utility's Consumer Confidence Report and may want to consider additional water filtration for drinking.

Violation Context

Pulaski County has recorded 1 health-based violation, meaning the water system experienced at least one exceedance of federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements. At 30.5 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is high and signals significant water quality management issues.

Consumer Guidance

Drinking-water compliance in Pulaski County is rated Grade F, reflecting significant health-based violations in the recent reporting period. Pulaski County's drinking-water compliance score is 41.0 out of 100. The violation rate for Pulaski County is 30.5 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. Dissolved Oxygen is the leading impairment cause in Pulaski County's watershed. There are 6 active water-quality monitoring sites in Pulaski County. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the OHIO RIVER gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Pulaski County has poorer water quality than the average county in Illinois. Its water score is 6.8 points lower than the state average, suggesting more challenges with contamination control or infrastructure than 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 Pulaski County's water environment

Watershed Impairment Causes (EPA ATTAINS)

  • 1

    Low dissolved oxygen

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

  • 2

    Alteration in Stream-Side Or Littoral Vegetative Covers

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

  • 3

    Mercury

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

Source: EPA ATTAINS · Reporting cycle 2022

Official EPA Resources for Pulaski County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Pulaski County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Pulaski County

Consumer Confidence Reports (IL)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in Illinois

Clean Water Act §303(d)

Watershed Health

Impaired Water Bodies

47.7%

41 of 86 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

6

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

15K

15,194 total readings

Most Measured

  • Organics, Pesticide
  • Physical
  • Nutrient

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

181.0Kcfs

May 14, 7:00 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

53%

Well below typical

Primary Streamgage

OHIO RIVER AT OLMSTED, IL

USGS site
03612600
Drainage area
203,000 sq mi
Long-term mean
344.4K 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 Pulaski 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.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the water quality in Pulaski County, Illinois?
Pulaski County, Illinois has a drinking-water quality grade of F with a score of 41.0/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 1 health-based drinking water violation over the past 5 years. Watershed health, monitoring records, and streamflow snapshots are reported separately on this page.
Are there any water violations in Pulaski County?
Pulaski County has 1 health-based drinking water violation 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 Pulaski County?
EPA ATTAINS assessments under Clean Water Act §303(d) indicate 47.7% of Pulaski County's 86 assessed water bodies are classified as impaired (41 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 Pulaski County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 15,194 measurements from 6 monitoring sites in Pulaski County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Organics, Pesticide, Physical, Nutrient. 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 Pulaski County right now?
Pulaski County's primary USGS streamgage on the OHIO RIVER has a pipeline snapshot of 181,000 cubic feet per second — 53% of the long-term mean of 344,377.78 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 Pulaski County water compare to the Illinois average?
Pulaski County's SDWIS water quality score of 41.0/100 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 Pulaski County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Pulaski County has a water quality grade of F (41.0/100). 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 Pulaski County have clean drinking water?
Pulaski County has 1 health-based drinking water violation according to EPA records. With a water quality score of 41.0/100 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 Pulaski County rank for water quality in Illinois?
Pulaski County ranks #58 out of 102 counties in Illinois by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 41.0/100, 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

Grundy County

Illinois

F

41.2

Water score

Calhoun County

Illinois

F

40.7

Water score

Saline County

Illinois

F

40.7

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

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