waterbycounty
EPA SDWIS

Montgomery County Water Quality

Montgomery County, Kentucky

Water Grade

F

Water Score

18.4

Violations

51

State Rank

#111

of 118 (1 = best)

EPA SDWIS Compliance

Drinking Water Quality

Water Quality Grade

F

Based on EPA compliance history and violation data

Water Score

18.4/100

Higher = better quality

Health Violations

51

Health-based violations

Violation Rate

148.4%

Systems with violations

Water Advisory: Montgomery County

Water Verdict

Montgomery County receives a poor water quality assessment with a grade of F and a score of 18.4 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

Montgomery County has recorded 51 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 148.4 violations per 1,000 residents, this rate is high and signals significant water quality management issues.

Consumer Guidance

Residents of Montgomery 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 51 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

Montgomery County has poorer water quality than the average county in Kentucky. Its water score is 45.8 points lower than the state average, suggesting more challenges with contamination control or infrastructure than neighboring counties.

Past 5 years

Water Quality Monitoring

Monitoring Sites

3

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

396

396 total readings

Most Measured

  • Inorganics, Minor, Metals
  • Physical
  • Inorganics, Major, Non-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

22.5cfs

May 14, 6:15 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

15%

Well below typical

Primary Streamgage

SLATE CREEK AT HIGHWAY 713 NR MT. STERLING, KY

USGS site
03250190
Drainage area
84.5 sq mi
Long-term mean
149 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 Montgomery County, Kentucky?
Montgomery County, Kentucky has a drinking-water quality grade of F with a score of 18.4/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 51 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 Montgomery County?
Montgomery County has 51 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 Montgomery County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 396 measurements from 3 monitoring sites in Montgomery County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Inorganics, Minor, Metals, Physical, Inorganics, Major, Non-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 Montgomery County right now?
Montgomery County's primary USGS streamgage on the SLATE CREEK is currently reading 22.5 cubic feet per second — 15% of the long-term mean of 149.05 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 Montgomery County water compare to the Kentucky average?
Montgomery County's SDWIS water quality score of 18.4/100 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 Montgomery County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Montgomery County has a water quality grade of F (18.4/100). 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 Montgomery County have so many water violations?
Montgomery County has 51 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 Montgomery County rank for water quality in Kentucky?
Montgomery County ranks #111 out of 118 counties in Kentucky by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 18.4/100, 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

Menifee County

Kentucky

F

18.4

Water score

Breathitt County

Kentucky

F

18.2

Water score

Crittenden County

Kentucky

F

20.0

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 Logan Johnson, Founder & Data EditorUpdated Reviewed by Logan Johnson, Founder & Data Editor

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