waterbycounty
EPA SDWIS

Letcher County Water Quality

Letcher County, Kentucky

Water Grade

F

Water Score

14.8

Violations

25

State Rank

#113

of 118 (1 = best)

EPA SDWIS Compliance

Drinking Water Quality

Water Quality Grade

F

Based on EPA compliance history and violation data

Water Score

14.8/100

Higher = better quality

Health Violations

25

Health-based violations

Violation Rate

202.3%

Systems with violations

Water Advisory: Letcher County

Water Verdict

Letcher County receives a poor water quality assessment with a grade of F and a score of 14.8 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

Letcher County has recorded 25 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 202.3 violations per 1,000 residents, this rate is high and signals significant water quality management issues.

Consumer Guidance

Residents of Letcher 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 25 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

Letcher County has poorer water quality than the average county in Kentucky. Its water score is 49.4 points lower than the state average, suggesting more challenges with contamination control or infrastructure than neighboring counties.

Clean Water Act §303(d)

Watershed Health

Impaired Water Bodies

0.0%

0 of 5 assessed

Mostly healthy

Top Impairment Causes

No specific impairment causes reported for this county's assessed water bodies.

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.

Live USGS Streamgage

River & Stream Conditions

Current Discharge

28.3cfs

May 14, 6:30 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

35%

Well below typical

Primary Streamgage

NORTH FORK KENTUCKY RIVER AT WHITESBURG, KY

USGS site
03277300
Drainage area
66.4 sq mi
Long-term mean
79.9 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 Letcher County, Kentucky?
Letcher County, Kentucky has a drinking-water quality grade of F with a score of 14.8/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 25 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 Letcher County?
Letcher County has 25 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 Letcher County?
EPA ATTAINS assessments under Clean Water Act §303(d) indicate 0.0% of Letcher County's 5 assessed water bodies are classified as impaired (0 impaired). 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.
What's happening with rivers in Letcher County right now?
Letcher County's primary USGS streamgage on the NORTH FORK KENTUCKY RIVER is currently reading 28.3 cubic feet per second — 35% of the long-term mean of 79.87 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 Letcher County water compare to the Kentucky average?
Letcher County's SDWIS water quality score of 14.8/100 is lower than the Kentucky state average of 64.2. The average water quality grade across Kentucky is C, based on data from 118 counties with available SDWIS data.
Is tap water safe to drink in Letcher County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Letcher County has a water quality grade of F (14.8/100). 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 Letcher County have so many water violations?
Letcher County has 25 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 Letcher County rank for water quality in Kentucky?
Letcher County ranks #113 out of 118 counties in Kentucky by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 14.8/100, 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

Edmonson County

Kentucky

F

14.6

Water score

Livingston County

Kentucky

F

12.6

Water score

McLean County

Kentucky

F

12.4

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.

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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