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County water report

Stephenson County Water Report

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

Water grade

B

Water score

65.8

State rank

#23

of 102

Health violations

1

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

38.3%

303 water bodies assessed

Monitoring sites

15

2,909 recent measurements

Live streamflow

96%

PECATONICA RIVER AT FREEPORT, IL

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Stephenson County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

B

Score: 65.8 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

1

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

38% impaired

303 bodies assessed

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

96% of mean

PECATONICA RIVER AT FREEPORT, IL

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

15

2,909 recent readings

Source: EPA SDWIS · Safe Drinking Water Information System

Drinking Water Compliance

Compliance grade

B

Based on EPA SDWIS compliance history.

Water score

Higher scores indicate cleaner recent compliance records.

65.8/100

Health violations

1

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

3.1

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding Stephenson County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Stephenson County earns a B grade for drinking water quality, scoring 65.8 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 38.3% of assessed waterways are impaired (116 of 303 water bodies) across Stephenson County's watersheds. The leading impairment causes are mercury and polychlorinated biphenyls (pcbs). 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 2026-05-14T12:30:00.000-06:00) puts PECATONICA RIVER at 980.0 cfs — near its historical average at 96% 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. Stephenson County has moderate coverage with 15 active monitoring sites with 2,909 recent measurements on record. Predominant monitoring categories include organics, pesticide and inorganics, minor, metals. 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 Stephenson County

Water Verdict

Stephenson County, Illinois receives a fair water quality assessment with a grade of B and a score of 65.8 out of 100. The water supply meets baseline federal standards, but there may be periods of elevated contaminant levels or infrastructure concerns worth monitoring. Separately, EPA ATTAINS assessments cover 303 water bodies in the county's watershed, with 38.3% listed as impaired under the Clean Water Act — a source-water measure that is tracked independently of tap-water compliance. At the most recent USGS reading, local streamflow was tracking near its historical mean (95.6%).

Violation Context

EPA SDWIS records for Stephenson County, Illinois show 1 health-based violation, meaning a water system experienced at least one exceedance of federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements. At 3.1 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is moderate and suggests recurring water quality challenges. For independent context, 2,909 water-quality monitoring results have been recorded across the county in the EPA Water Quality Portal over the past five years.

Consumer Guidance

Tap water in Stephenson County scores well above average for drinking-water safety. Stephenson County's drinking-water compliance score is 65.8 out of 100. With 1 recorded health violation, the water supply is generally reliable. The violation rate for Stephenson County is 3.1 per 100,000 people served. Households with infants, pregnant individuals, or immunocompromised members may want to use an NSF 53-certified pitcher filter as a low-cost precaution. Mercury is the leading impairment cause in Stephenson County's watershed. With 15 active water-quality monitoring sites in Stephenson County, data coverage is strong. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the PECATONICA RIVER gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Stephenson County has better water quality than the average county in Illinois. Its water score is 18 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 Stephenson County's water environment

Watershed Impairment Causes (EPA ATTAINS)

  • 1

    Mercury

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

  • 2

    Polychlorinated Biphenyls (Pcbs)

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

  • 3

    Cause Unknown

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

Source: EPA ATTAINS · Reporting cycle 2022

Official EPA Resources for Stephenson County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Stephenson County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Stephenson County

Consumer Confidence Reports (IL)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in Illinois

Clean Water Act §303(d)

Watershed Health

Impaired Water Bodies

38.3%

116 of 303 assessed

Moderate concern

Top Impairment Causes

  • 1

    MERCURY

  • 2

    POLYCHLORINATED BIPHENYLS (PCBS)

  • 3

    CAUSE UNKNOWN

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

15

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

2.9K

2,909 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

980cfs

May 14, 6:30 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

96%

Near typical

Primary Streamgage

PECATONICA RIVER AT FREEPORT, IL

USGS site
05435500
Drainage area
1,326.88 sq mi
Long-term mean
1,025 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 Stephenson 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 Stephenson County, Illinois?
Stephenson County, Illinois has a drinking-water quality grade of B with a score of 65.8/100, 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 Stephenson County?
Stephenson 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 Stephenson County?
EPA ATTAINS assessments under Clean Water Act §303(d) indicate 38.3% of Stephenson County's 303 assessed water bodies are classified as impaired (116 impaired). The top reported causes are MERCURY, POLYCHLORINATED BIPHENYLS (PCBS), CAUSE UNKNOWN. 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 Stephenson County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 2,909 measurements from 15 monitoring sites in Stephenson 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 Stephenson County right now?
Stephenson County's primary USGS streamgage on the PECATONICA RIVER has a pipeline snapshot of 980 cubic feet per second — 96% of the long-term mean of 1,025.34 cfs. Flow is within typical range for this gauge. For the latest gauge feed, visit waterdata.usgs.gov.
How does Stephenson County water compare to the Illinois average?
Stephenson County's SDWIS water quality score of 65.8/100 is higher 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 Stephenson County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Stephenson County has a water quality grade of B (65.8/100). This indicates good to excellent water quality with strong SDWIS compliance. 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 Stephenson County have clean drinking water?
Stephenson County has 1 health-based drinking water violation according to EPA records. With a water quality score of 65.8/100 and grade B, 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 Stephenson County rank for water quality in Illinois?
Stephenson County ranks #23 out of 102 counties in Illinois by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 65.8/100, 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

DeKalb County

Illinois

B

66.0

Water score

Lake County

Illinois

B

65.3

Water score

Will County

Illinois

B

65.1

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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