waterbycounty
EPA SDWIS

Geary County Water Quality

Geary County, Kansas

Water Grade

D

Water Score

41.7

Violations

17

State Rank

#43

of 105 (1 = best)

EPA SDWIS Compliance

Drinking Water Quality

Water Quality Grade

D

Based on EPA compliance history and violation data

Water Score

41.7/100

Higher = better quality

Health Violations

17

Health-based violations

Violation Rate

29.1%

Systems with violations

Water Advisory: Geary County

Water Verdict

Geary County receives a below-average water quality assessment with a grade of D and a score of 41.7 out of 100. Residents should review their utility's Consumer Confidence Report and may want to consider additional water filtration for drinking.

Violation Context

Geary County has recorded 17 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 29.1 violations per 1,000 residents, this rate is high and signals significant water quality management issues.

Consumer Guidance

Residents of Geary 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 17 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

Geary County has water quality close to the average county in Kansas. Its water score is within 0.9 points of the state average, meaning its overall water system performance is broadly representative of Kansas as a whole.

Past 5 years

Water Quality Monitoring

Monitoring Sites

7

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

686

686 total readings

Most Measured

  • Physical
  • Nutrient
  • Biological, Algae, Phytoplankton, Photosynthetic Pigments

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

356cfs

May 14, 6:30 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

14%

Well below typical

Primary Streamgage

KANSAS R AT FORT RILEY, KS

USGS site
06879100
Drainage area
44,870 sq mi
Long-term mean
2,546 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 Geary County, Kansas?
Geary County, Kansas has a drinking-water quality grade of D with a score of 41.7/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 17 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 Geary County?
Geary County has 17 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 much water-quality monitoring happens in Geary County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 686 measurements from 7 monitoring sites in Geary County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Physical, Nutrient, Biological, Algae, Phytoplankton, Photosynthetic Pigments. 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 Geary County right now?
Geary County's primary USGS streamgage on the KANSAS R is currently reading 356 cubic feet per second — 14% of the long-term mean of 2,545.7 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 Geary County water compare to the Kansas average?
Geary County's SDWIS water quality score of 41.7/100 is lower than the Kansas state average of 42.6. The average water quality grade across Kansas is D, based on data from 105 counties with available SDWIS data.
Is tap water safe to drink in Geary County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Geary County has a water quality grade of D (41.7/100). 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).
Why does Geary County have so many water violations?
Geary County has 17 health-based drinking water violations on record from the EPA SDWIS database. A higher violation count can result from aging infrastructure, underfunded water utilities, agricultural runoff contamination, or industrial pollution. Counties with more water systems may also see more violations simply due to scale. Residents concerned about water quality should consider independent water testing and home filtration systems.
How does Geary County rank for water quality in Kansas?
Geary County ranks #43 out of 105 counties in Kansas by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 41.7/100, 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

Allen County

Kansas

D

41.4

Water score

Shawnee County

Kansas

D

42.1

Water score

Ellis County

Kansas

F

40.9

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.

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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