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EPA SDWIS

DeKalb County Water Quality

DeKalb County, Indiana

Water Grade

D

Water Score

47.5

Violations

5

State Rank

#60

of 92 (1 = best)

EPA SDWIS Compliance

Drinking Water Quality

Water Quality Grade

D

Based on EPA compliance history and violation data

Water Score

47.5/100

Higher = better quality

Health Violations

5

Health-based violations

Violation Rate

20.0%

Systems with violations

Water Advisory: DeKalb County

Water Verdict

DeKalb County receives a below-average water quality assessment with a grade of D and a score of 47.5 out of 100. Residents should review their utility's Consumer Confidence Report and may want to consider additional water filtration for drinking.

Violation Context

DeKalb County has recorded 5 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 20.0 violations per 1,000 residents, this rate is high and signals significant water quality management issues.

Consumer Guidance

Residents of DeKalb 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 5 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

DeKalb County has water quality close to the average county in Indiana. Its water score is within 5 points of the state average, meaning its overall water system performance is broadly representative of Indiana as a whole.

Clean Water Act §303(d)

Watershed Health

Impaired Water Bodies

36.8%

57 of 155 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

4.6K

4,601 total readings

Most Measured

  • Physical
  • Inorganics, Minor, Metals
  • 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

48.1cfs

May 14, 7:00 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

56%

Well below typical

Primary Streamgage

CEDAR CREEK AT 18TH STREET AT AUBURN, IN

USGS site
04179520
Drainage area
90.2 sq mi
Long-term mean
86.1 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 DeKalb County, Indiana?
DeKalb County, Indiana has a drinking-water quality grade of D with a score of 47.5/100, 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 live streamflow are reported separately on this page.
Are there any water violations in DeKalb County?
DeKalb 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 DeKalb County?
EPA ATTAINS assessments under Clean Water Act §303(d) indicate 36.8% of DeKalb County's 155 assessed water bodies are classified as impaired (57 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 DeKalb County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 4,601 measurements from 9 monitoring sites in DeKalb County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Physical, Inorganics, Minor, Metals, 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 DeKalb County right now?
DeKalb County's primary USGS streamgage on the CEDAR CREEK is currently reading 48.1 cubic feet per second — 56% of the long-term mean of 86.11 cfs. This is well below typical — often a signal of drought stress on source water. For genuine real-time data, visit waterdata.usgs.gov.
How does DeKalb County water compare to the Indiana average?
DeKalb County's SDWIS water quality score of 47.5/100 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 DeKalb County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, DeKalb County has a water quality grade of D (47.5/100). 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 DeKalb County have clean drinking water?
DeKalb County has 5 health-based drinking water violations according to EPA records. With a water quality score of 47.5/100 and grade D, 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 DeKalb County rank for water quality in Indiana?
DeKalb County ranks #60 out of 92 counties in Indiana by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 47.5/100, 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

Boone County

Indiana

D

47.7

Water score

Warrick County

Indiana

D

47.8

Water score

Cass County

Indiana

D

48.8

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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