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County water report

Vanderburgh County Water Report

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

Water grade

A

Water score

86.0

State rank

#17

of 92

Health violations

0

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

35.9%

131 water bodies assessed

Monitoring sites

12

3,247 recent measurements

Live streamflow

No gauge

OHIO RIVER AT EVANSVILLE, IN

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Vanderburgh County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

A

Score: 86.0 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

0

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

36% impaired

131 bodies assessed

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

No gauge

OHIO RIVER AT EVANSVILLE, IN

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

12

3,247 recent readings

Source: EPA SDWIS · Safe Drinking Water Information System

Drinking Water Compliance

Compliance grade

A

Based on EPA SDWIS compliance history.

Water score

Higher scores indicate cleaner recent compliance records.

86.0/100

Health violations

0

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

0.0

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding Vanderburgh County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Vanderburgh County earns an A grade for drinking water quality, scoring 86.0 out of 100. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) records zero health-based violations over the past five years — a strong compliance signal for a large county.

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 35.9% of assessed waterways are impaired (47 of 131 water bodies) across Vanderburgh County's watersheds. The leading impairment causes are escherichia coli (e. coli) and dissolved oxygen. 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. Vanderburgh County has moderate coverage with 12 active monitoring sites with 3,247 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 Vanderburgh County

Water Verdict

Vanderburgh County receives an excellent water quality assessment with a grade of A and a score of 86.0 out of 100. The water supply meets or exceeds federal safety standards, and residents can generally drink tap water with confidence.

Violation Context

Vanderburgh County has recorded zero health-based violations, indicating no recent health-based violations in the reporting period. The violation rate is zero per 100,000 people served, which is the best possible outcome.

Consumer Guidance

The EPA compliance record for Vanderburgh County shows no recent health-based violations. Vanderburgh County's drinking-water compliance score is 86.0 out of 100. Watershed monitoring does show E. coli in local surface water — a reminder that treated drinking water and source-water quality are measured separately. Reviewing your utility's annual Consumer Confidence Report each July confirms that treatment is keeping pace with any upstream pressures. With 12 active water-quality monitoring sites in Vanderburgh County, data coverage is strong. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the OHIO RIVER gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Vanderburgh County has better water quality than the average county in Indiana. Its water score is 33.5 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 Vanderburgh County's water environment

Watershed Impairment Causes (EPA ATTAINS)

  • 1

    E. coli (bacteria)

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

  • 2

    Low dissolved oxygen

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

  • 3

    Biological Integrity

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

Source: EPA ATTAINS · Reporting cycle 2022

Official EPA Resources for Vanderburgh County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Vanderburgh County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Vanderburgh County

Consumer Confidence Reports (IN)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in Indiana

Clean Water Act §303(d)

Watershed Health

Impaired Water Bodies

35.9%

47 of 131 assessed

Moderate concern

Top Impairment Causes

  • 1

    ESCHERICHIA COLI (E. COLI)

  • 2

    DISSOLVED OXYGEN

  • 3

    BIOLOGICAL INTEGRITY

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

12

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

3.2K

3,247 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).

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 Vanderburgh 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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Vanderburgh County has good water quality

Learn about water restrictions and conservation in your area.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the water quality in Vanderburgh County, Indiana?
Vanderburgh County, Indiana has a drinking-water quality grade of A with a score of 86.0/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 0 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 Vanderburgh County?
Vanderburgh County has 0 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). Zero violations is an excellent record indicating consistent compliance with federal drinking water standards.
How healthy are the watersheds in Vanderburgh County?
EPA ATTAINS assessments under Clean Water Act §303(d) indicate 35.9% of Vanderburgh County's 131 assessed water bodies are classified as impaired (47 impaired). The top reported causes are ESCHERICHIA COLI (E. COLI), DISSOLVED OXYGEN, BIOLOGICAL INTEGRITY. 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 Vanderburgh County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 3,247 measurements from 12 monitoring sites in Vanderburgh 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.
How does Vanderburgh County water compare to the Indiana average?
Vanderburgh County's SDWIS water quality score of 86.0/100 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 Vanderburgh County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Vanderburgh County has a water quality grade of A (86.0/100). 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 Vanderburgh County have clean drinking water?
Vanderburgh County has 0 health-based drinking water violations according to EPA records. With a water quality score of 86.0/100 and grade A, the county's drinking water meets EPA standards with no recorded health violations. 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 Vanderburgh County rank for water quality in Indiana?
Vanderburgh County ranks #17 out of 92 counties in Indiana by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 86.0/100, 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

Blackford County

Indiana

A

86.0

Water score

Brown County

Indiana

A

86.0

Water score

Fayette County

Indiana

A

86.0

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.

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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