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Federal water data

County water report

Lyon County Water Report

Drinking-water compliance, watershed health, monitoring records, and river conditions for Lyon County, Kentucky.

Water grade

F

Water score

21.5

State rank

#108

of 118

Health violations

15

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

0.0%

4 water bodies assessed

Monitoring sites

3

1,318 recent measurements

Live streamflow

No gauge

CUMBERLAND RIVER NEAR GRAND RIVERS, KY

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Lyon County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

F

Score: 21.5 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

15

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

0% impaired

4 bodies assessed

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

No gauge

CUMBERLAND RIVER NEAR GRAND RIVERS, KY

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

3

1,318 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.

21.5/100

Health violations

15

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

116.0

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding Lyon County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Lyon County's water systems carry a failing grade, scoring 21.5 out of 100. Over the past five years, EPA SDWIS records 15 health-based violations — a pattern that public water utilities are required to disclose and correct.

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). None of the assessed waterways are listed as impaired (0 of 4 water bodies) across Lyon County's watersheds. 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. Lyon County has limited coverage with 3 active monitoring sites with 1,318 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 Lyon County

Water Verdict

Lyon County, Kentucky receives a poor water quality assessment with a grade of F and a score of 21.5 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. Separately, EPA ATTAINS assessments track 4 water bodies in the county's watershed, none of which are currently listed as impaired under the Clean Water Act.

Violation Context

EPA SDWIS records for Lyon County, Kentucky show 15 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 116.0 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is high and signals significant water quality management issues. For independent context, 1,318 water-quality monitoring results have been recorded across the county in the EPA Water Quality Portal over the past five years.

Consumer Guidance

Drinking-water compliance in Lyon County is rated Grade F, reflecting significant health-based violations in the recent reporting period. Lyon County's drinking-water compliance score is 21.5 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. There are 3 active water-quality monitoring sites in Lyon County. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the CUMBERLAND RIVER gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Lyon County has poorer water quality than the average county in Kentucky. Its water score is 42.7 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 Lyon County's water environment

Official EPA Resources for Lyon County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Lyon County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Lyon County

Consumer Confidence Reports (KY)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in Kentucky

Clean Water Act §303(d)

Watershed Health

Impaired Water Bodies

0.0%

0 of 4 assessed

Mostly healthy

Top Impairment Causes

No specific impairment causes reported for the assessed water bodies in this county.

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

3

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

1.3K

1,318 total readings

Most Measured

  • Physical
  • Inorganics, Minor, Metals
  • Biological, Algae, Phytoplankton

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 Lyon 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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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the water quality in Lyon County, Kentucky?
Lyon County, Kentucky has a drinking-water quality grade of F with a score of 21.5/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 15 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 Lyon County?
Lyon County has 15 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 Lyon County?
EPA ATTAINS assessments under Clean Water Act §303(d) indicate 0.0% of Lyon County's 4 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.
How much water-quality monitoring happens in Lyon County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 1,318 measurements from 3 monitoring sites in Lyon County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Physical, Inorganics, Minor, Metals, Biological, Algae, Phytoplankton. 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 Lyon County water compare to the Kentucky average?
Lyon County's SDWIS water quality score of 21.5/100 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 Lyon County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Lyon County has a water quality grade of F (21.5/100). 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 Lyon County have so many water violations?
Lyon County has 15 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 Lyon County rank for water quality in Kentucky?
Lyon County ranks #108 out of 118 counties in Kentucky by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 21.5/100, 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

Monroe County

Kentucky

F

22.8

Water score

Crittenden County

Kentucky

F

20.0

Water score

Menifee County

Kentucky

F

18.4

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 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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