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Federal water data

County water report

Mercer County Water Report

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

Water grade

C

Water score

53.9

State rank

#75

of 118

Health violations

3

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

No gauge

DIX RIVER AT DIX DAM NEAR BURGIN, KY

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Mercer County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

C

Score: 53.9 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

3

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

Not reported

Coverage varies by state

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

No gauge

DIX RIVER AT DIX DAM NEAR BURGIN, KY

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

N/A

Rolling 5-year window

Source: EPA SDWIS · Safe Drinking Water Information System

Drinking Water Compliance

Compliance grade

C

Based on EPA SDWIS compliance history.

Water score

Higher scores indicate cleaner recent compliance records.

53.9/100

Health violations

3

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

11.4

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding Mercer County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Mercer County's drinking water earned a C grade, scoring 53.9 out of 100. Over the past five years, EPA SDWIS records 3 health-based violations — a small cluster that warrants attention.

Editorial advisory

What the data suggests for Mercer County

Water Verdict

Mercer County receives a below-average water quality assessment with a grade of C and a score of 53.9 out of 100. Residents should review their utility's Consumer Confidence Report and may want to consider additional water filtration for drinking.

Violation Context

Mercer County has recorded 3 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 11.4 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is high and signals significant water quality management issues.

Consumer Guidance

Tap water in Mercer County meets baseline standards but the compliance record shows room for improvement, with a Grade C rating. Mercer County's drinking-water compliance score is 53.9 out of 100. The violation rate for Mercer County is 11.4 per 100,000 people served. Residents who are immunocompromised, pregnant, or have young children may benefit from using an NSF 53-certified filter. Contacting your local utility for the current Consumer Confidence Report will confirm which specific violations were recorded and whether they have been resolved. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the DIX RIVER gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Mercer County has poorer water quality than the average county in Kentucky. Its water score is 10.3 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 Mercer County's water environment

Official EPA Resources for Mercer County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Mercer County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Mercer County

Consumer Confidence Reports (KY)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in Kentucky

Live USGS Streamgage

River & Stream Conditions

Current Discharge

159cfs

May 14, 6:15 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

Long-term average not yet available.

Primary Streamgage

DIX RIVER AT DIX DAM NEAR BURGIN, KY

USGS site
03286200
Drainage area
439 sq mi

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.

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 Mercer County:D — Poor

Elevated violations or significant watershed impairment.

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 Mercer County, Kentucky?
Mercer County, Kentucky has a drinking-water quality grade of C with a score of 53.9/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 3 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 Mercer County?
Mercer County has 3 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 Mercer County right now?
Mercer County's primary USGS streamgage on the DIX RIVER has a pipeline snapshot of 159 cubic feet per second. Flow is within typical range for this gauge. For the latest gauge feed, visit waterdata.usgs.gov.
How does Mercer County water compare to the Kentucky average?
Mercer County's SDWIS water quality score of 53.9/100 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 Mercer County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Mercer County has a water quality grade of C (53.9/100). This indicates moderate compliance. Some violations have been recorded but overall standards are maintained. 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).
Does Mercer County have clean drinking water?
Mercer County has 3 health-based drinking water violations according to EPA records. With a water quality score of 53.9/100 and grade C, the county's drinking water has had some compliance issues but continues to be monitored. Note: drinking-water compliance speaks to the public water system, not necessarily to the watershed itself — check the Watershed Health zone for ATTAINS §303(d) data.
How does Mercer County rank for water quality in Kentucky?
Mercer County ranks #75 out of 118 counties in Kentucky by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 53.9/100, 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

Knox County

Kentucky

C

53.3

Water score

Bourbon County

Kentucky

C

52.7

Water score

Morgan County

Kentucky

C

55.4

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.

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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