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County water report

Sumner County Water Report

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

Water grade

F

Water score

17.2

State rank

#71

of 105

Health violations

38

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

Not reported

EPA ATTAINS coverage varies by state

Monitoring sites

2

40 recent measurements

Live streamflow

26%

ARKANSAS R ON HWY 160 AT OXFORD, KS

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Sumner County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

F

Score: 17.2 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

38

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

Not reported

Coverage varies by state

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

26% of mean

ARKANSAS R ON HWY 160 AT OXFORD, KS

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

2

40 recent readings

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.

17.2/100

Health violations

38

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

160.5

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding Sumner County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Sumner County's water systems carry a failing grade, scoring 17.2 out of 100. Over the past five years, EPA SDWIS records 38 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 2026-05-14T13:45:00.000-05:00) puts ARKANSAS R ON HWY 160 at 456.0 cfs — well below its long-term average at 26% 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. Sumner County has limited coverage with 2 active monitoring sites with 40 recent measurements on record. Predominant monitoring categories include physical and nutrient. 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 Sumner County

Water Verdict

Sumner County receives a poor water quality assessment with a grade of F and a score of 17.2 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.

Violation Context

Sumner County has recorded 38 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 160.5 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is high and signals significant water quality management issues.

Consumer Guidance

Sumner County has a Grade F compliance record with 38 health-based violations — among the highest levels in the country. Sumner County's drinking-water compliance score is 17.2 out of 100. Residents are strongly advised to use a certified NSF 58 reverse-osmosis filter or bottled water for all drinking and cooking until violations are corrected. Contacting the Kansas Department of Environmental Quality or Health can expedite utility compliance action. There are 2 active water-quality monitoring sites in Sumner County. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the ARKANSAS R ON HWY 160 gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Sumner County has poorer water quality than the average county in Kansas. Its water score is 25.4 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 Sumner County's water environment

Official EPA Resources for Sumner County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Sumner County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Sumner County

Consumer Confidence Reports (KS)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in Kansas

Past 5 years

Water Quality Monitoring

Monitoring Sites

2

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

40

40 total readings

Most Measured

  • Physical
  • Nutrient
  • Inorganics, Major, Metals

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

456cfs

May 14, 6:45 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

26%

Well below typical

Primary Streamgage

ARKANSAS R ON HWY 160 AT OXFORD, KS

USGS site
07145600
Drainage area
43,801 sq mi
Long-term mean
1,762 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 Sumner 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 Sumner County, Kansas?
Sumner County, Kansas has a drinking-water quality grade of F with a score of 17.2/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 38 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 Sumner County?
Sumner County has 38 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 Sumner County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 40 measurements from 2 monitoring sites in Sumner County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Physical, Nutrient, Inorganics, Major, Metals. 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 Sumner County right now?
Sumner County's primary USGS streamgage on the ARKANSAS R ON HWY 160 has a pipeline snapshot of 456 cubic feet per second — 26% of the long-term mean of 1,762.45 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 Sumner County water compare to the Kansas average?
Sumner County's SDWIS water quality score of 17.2/100 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 Sumner County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Sumner County has a water quality grade of F (17.2/100). 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 Sumner County have so many water violations?
Sumner County has 38 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 Sumner County rank for water quality in Kansas?
Sumner County ranks #71 out of 105 counties in Kansas by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 17.2/100, 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

Stafford County

Kansas

F

17.8

Water score

Reno County

Kansas

F

15.8

Water score

Ellsworth County

Kansas

F

15.6

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.

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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