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Federal water data

County water report

Carroll County Water Report

Drinking-water compliance, watershed health, monitoring records, and river conditions for Carroll County, Indiana.

Water grade

F

Water score

26.4

State rank

#78

of 92

Health violations

5

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

65.8%

146 water bodies assessed

Monitoring sites

24

12,512 recent measurements

Live streamflow

No gauge

WABASH RIVER AT DELPHI, IN

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Carroll County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

F

Score: 26.4 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

5

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

66% impaired

146 bodies assessed

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

No gauge

WABASH RIVER AT DELPHI, IN

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

24

12,512 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.

26.4/100

Health violations

5

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

82.1

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding Carroll County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Carroll County's water systems carry a failing grade, scoring 26.4 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 — 65.8% — of assessed waterways are impaired (96 of 146 water bodies) across Carroll County's watersheds. The leading impairment causes are escherichia coli (e. coli) and pcbs in fish tissue. Impairment does not mean tap water is unsafe — it measures ambient waterway conditions upstream of treatment, not finished drinking water.

Monitoring Network

EPA WQP

EPA's Water Quality Portal (WQP) aggregates monitoring data from federal, state, and tribal agencies. Carroll County has moderate coverage with 24 active monitoring sites with 12,512 recent measurements on record. Predominant monitoring categories include physical 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 Carroll County

Water Verdict

Carroll County, Indiana receives a poor water quality assessment with a grade of F and a score of 26.4 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. Separately, EPA ATTAINS assessments cover 146 water bodies in the county's watershed, with 65.8% listed as impaired under the Clean Water Act — a source-water measure that is tracked independently of tap-water compliance.

Violation Context

EPA SDWIS records for Carroll County, Indiana show 5 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 82.1 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is high and signals significant water quality management issues. This compliance record sits alongside an unusually deep monitoring archive: 12,512 water-quality results have been logged across the county in the EPA Water Quality Portal over the past five years.

Consumer Guidance

Drinking-water compliance in Carroll County is rated Grade F, reflecting significant health-based violations in the recent reporting period. Carroll County's drinking-water compliance score is 26.4 out of 100. The violation rate for Carroll County is 82.1 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. E. coli is the leading impairment cause in Carroll County's watershed. With 24 active water-quality monitoring sites in Carroll County, data coverage is strong. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the WABASH RIVER gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Carroll County has poorer water quality than the average county in Indiana. Its water score is 26.1 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 Carroll County's water environment

Watershed Impairment Causes (EPA ATTAINS)

  • 1

    E. coli (bacteria)

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

  • 2

    Pcbs in Fish Tissue

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

  • 3

    Nutrient pollution

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

Source: EPA ATTAINS · Reporting cycle 2022

Official EPA Resources for Carroll County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Carroll County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Carroll County

Consumer Confidence Reports (IN)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in Indiana

Clean Water Act §303(d)

Watershed Health

Impaired Water Bodies

65.8%

96 of 146 assessed

High concern

Top Impairment Causes

  • 1

    ESCHERICHIA COLI (E. COLI)

  • 2

    PCBS IN FISH TISSUE

  • 3

    NUTRIENTS

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

24

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

13K

12,512 total readings

Most Measured

  • Physical
  • Inorganics, Minor, Metals
  • Organics, Pesticide

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).

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 Carroll County:F — Failing

High violation count or severe watershed conditions.

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 Carroll County, Indiana?
Carroll County, Indiana has a drinking-water quality grade of F with a score of 26.4/100, 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 Carroll County?
Carroll 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 Carroll County?
EPA ATTAINS assessments under Clean Water Act §303(d) indicate 65.8% of Carroll County's 146 assessed water bodies are classified as impaired (96 impaired). The top reported causes are ESCHERICHIA COLI (E. COLI), PCBS IN FISH TISSUE, NUTRIENTS. 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 Carroll County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 12,512 measurements from 24 monitoring sites in Carroll County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Physical, Inorganics, Minor, Metals, Organics, Pesticide. 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.
How does Carroll County water compare to the Indiana average?
Carroll County's SDWIS water quality score of 26.4/100 is lower than the Indiana state average of 52.5. The average water quality grade across Indiana is D, based on data from 92 counties with available SDWIS data.
Is tap water safe to drink in Carroll County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Carroll County has a water quality grade of F (26.4/100). 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 Carroll County have clean drinking water?
Carroll County has 5 health-based drinking water violations according to EPA records. With a water quality score of 26.4/100 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 Carroll County rank for water quality in Indiana?
Carroll County ranks #78 out of 92 counties in Indiana by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 26.4/100, 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

Kosciusko County

Indiana

F

24.4

Water score

Miami County

Indiana

F

23.5

Water score

Huntington County

Indiana

F

29.9

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.

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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