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Federal water data

County water report

Rush County Water Report

Drinking-water compliance, watershed health, monitoring records, and river conditions for Rush County, Kansas.

Water grade

F

Water score

4.1

State rank

#93

of 105

Health violations

23

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

Not reported

EPA ATTAINS coverage varies by state

Monitoring sites

N/A

EPA Water Quality Portal

Live streamflow

4%

WALNUT C AT NEKOMA, KS

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Rush County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

F

Score: 4.1 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

23

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

Not reported

Coverage varies by state

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

4% of mean

WALNUT C AT NEKOMA, KS

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

N/A

Rolling 5-year window

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.

4.1/100

Health violations

23

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

985.0

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding Rush County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Rush County's water systems carry a failing grade, scoring 4.1 out of 100. Over the past five years, EPA SDWIS records 23 health-based violations — a pattern that public water utilities are required to disclose and correct.

River & Streamflow Status

USGS NWIS

USGS NWIS gauge data (as of 2026-05-14T13:15:00.000-05:00) puts WALNUT C at 0.8 cfs — well below its long-term average at 4% 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.

Editorial advisory

What the data suggests for Rush County

Water Verdict

Rush County, Kansas receives a poor water quality assessment with a grade of F and a score of 4.1 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. The county's primary USGS gauge drains roughly 1,256 square miles of upstream watershed, giving local source waters a regional footprint. At the most recent USGS reading, local streamflow was below its historical mean at 3.9% — worth watching in drier seasons.

Violation Context

EPA SDWIS records for Rush County, Kansas show 23 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 985.0 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is high and signals significant water quality management issues.

Consumer Guidance

Drinking-water compliance in Rush County is rated Grade F, reflecting significant health-based violations in the recent reporting period. Rush County's drinking-water compliance score is 4.1 out of 100. 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. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the WALNUT C gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Rush County has poorer water quality than the average county in Kansas. Its water score is 38.5 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 Rush County's water environment

Official EPA Resources for Rush County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Rush County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Rush County

Consumer Confidence Reports (KS)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in Kansas

Live USGS Streamgage

River & Stream Conditions

Current Discharge

0.83cfs

May 14, 6:15 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

4%

Well below typical

Primary Streamgage

WALNUT C AT NEKOMA, KS

USGS site
07141780
Drainage area
1,256 sq mi
Long-term mean
21.5 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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Safety Grade for Rush 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 Rush County, Kansas?
Rush County, Kansas has a drinking-water quality grade of F with a score of 4.1/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 23 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 Rush County?
Rush County has 23 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.
What's happening with rivers in Rush County right now?
Rush County's primary USGS streamgage on the WALNUT C has a pipeline snapshot of 0.83 cubic feet per second — 4% of the long-term mean of 21.48 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 Rush County water compare to the Kansas average?
Rush County's SDWIS water quality score of 4.1/100 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 Rush County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Rush County has a water quality grade of F (4.1/100). 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 Rush County have so many water violations?
Rush County has 23 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 Rush County rank for water quality in Kansas?
Rush County ranks #93 out of 105 counties in Kansas by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 4.1/100, 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

Gray County

Kansas

F

3.8

Water score

Logan County

Kansas

F

3.6

Water score

Republic County

Kansas

F

3.6

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.

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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