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County water report

Daviess County Water Report

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

Water grade

B

Water score

64.4

State rank

#27

of 92

Health violations

1

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

52.5%

200 water bodies assessed

Monitoring sites

9

1,539 recent measurements

Live streamflow

29%

SMOTHERS CREEK NR PLAINVILLE, IN

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Daviess County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

B

Score: 64.4 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

1

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

53% impaired

200 bodies assessed

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

29% of mean

SMOTHERS CREEK NR PLAINVILLE, IN

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

9

1,539 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.

64.4/100

Health violations

1

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

3.9

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding Daviess County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Daviess County earns a B grade for drinking water quality, scoring 64.4 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 52.5% of assessed waterways are impaired (105 of 200 water bodies) across Daviess County's watersheds. The leading impairment causes are escherichia coli (e. coli) and biological integrity. 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 2026-05-14T14:45:00.000-04:00) puts SMOTHERS CREEK at 15.6 cfs — well below its long-term average at 29% 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. Daviess County has limited coverage with 9 active monitoring sites with 1,539 recent measurements on record. Predominant monitoring categories include pfas,perfluorinated alkyl substance 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 Daviess County

Water Verdict

Daviess County, Indiana receives a fair water quality assessment with a grade of B and a score of 64.4 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 200 water bodies in the county's watershed, with 52.5% 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 below its historical mean at 28.7% — worth watching in drier seasons.

Violation Context

EPA SDWIS records for Daviess County, Indiana show 1 health-based violation, meaning a water system experienced at least one exceedance of federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements. At 3.9 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is moderate and suggests recurring water quality challenges. For independent context, 1,539 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 Daviess County scores well above average for drinking-water safety. Daviess County's drinking-water compliance score is 64.4 out of 100. With 1 recorded health violation, the water supply is generally reliable. The violation rate for Daviess County is 3.9 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. E. coli is the leading impairment cause in Daviess County's watershed. There are 9 active water-quality monitoring sites in Daviess County. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the SMOTHERS CREEK gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Daviess County has better water quality than the average county in Indiana. Its water score is 11.9 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 Daviess County's water environment

Watershed Impairment Causes (EPA ATTAINS)

  • 1

    E. coli (bacteria)

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

  • 2

    Biological Integrity

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

  • 3

    Pcbs in Fish Tissue

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

Source: EPA ATTAINS · Reporting cycle 2022

Official EPA Resources for Daviess County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Daviess County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Daviess County

Consumer Confidence Reports (IN)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in Indiana

Clean Water Act §303(d)

Watershed Health

Impaired Water Bodies

52.5%

105 of 200 assessed

Moderate concern

Top Impairment Causes

  • 1

    ESCHERICHIA COLI (E. COLI)

  • 2

    BIOLOGICAL INTEGRITY

  • 3

    PCBS IN FISH TISSUE

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

9

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

1.5K

1,539 total readings

Most Measured

  • PFAS,Perfluorinated Alkyl Substance
  • Physical
  • Organics, PCBs

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

15.6cfs

May 14, 6:45 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

29%

Well below typical

Primary Streamgage

SMOTHERS CREEK NR PLAINVILLE, IN

USGS site
03360600
Drainage area
33.1 sq mi
Long-term mean
54.4 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.

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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 Daviess 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 Daviess County, Indiana?
Daviess County, Indiana has a drinking-water quality grade of B with a score of 64.4/100, 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 Daviess County?
Daviess 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 Daviess County?
EPA ATTAINS assessments under Clean Water Act §303(d) indicate 52.5% of Daviess County's 200 assessed water bodies are classified as impaired (105 impaired). The top reported causes are ESCHERICHIA COLI (E. COLI), BIOLOGICAL INTEGRITY, PCBS IN FISH TISSUE. 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 Daviess County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 1,539 measurements from 9 monitoring sites in Daviess County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are PFAS,Perfluorinated Alkyl Substance, Physical, Organics, PCBs. 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 Daviess County right now?
Daviess County's primary USGS streamgage on the SMOTHERS CREEK has a pipeline snapshot of 15.6 cubic feet per second — 29% of the long-term mean of 54.37 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 Daviess County water compare to the Indiana average?
Daviess County's SDWIS water quality score of 64.4/100 is higher 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 Daviess County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Daviess County has a water quality grade of B (64.4/100). 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 Daviess County have clean drinking water?
Daviess County has 1 health-based drinking water violation according to EPA records. With a water quality score of 64.4/100 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 Daviess County rank for water quality in Indiana?
Daviess County ranks #27 out of 92 counties in Indiana by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 64.4/100, 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

Bartholomew County

Indiana

B

64.2

Water score

Allen County

Indiana

B

64.8

Water score

Vigo County

Indiana

B

65.0

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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