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EPA SDWIS

Owsley County Water Quality

Owsley County, Kentucky

Water Grade

D

Water Score

48.2

Violations

1

State Rank

#82

of 118 (1 = best)

EPA SDWIS Compliance

Drinking Water Quality

Water Quality Grade

D

Based on EPA compliance history and violation data

Water Score

48.2/100

Higher = better quality

Health Violations

1

Health-based violations

Violation Rate

18.7%

Systems with violations

Water Advisory: Owsley County

Water Verdict

Owsley County receives a below-average water quality assessment with a grade of D and a score of 48.2 out of 100. Residents should review their utility's Consumer Confidence Report and may want to consider additional water filtration for drinking.

Violation Context

Owsley County has recorded 1 health-based violation, meaning the water system experienced at least one exceedance of federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements. At 18.7 violations per 1,000 residents, this rate is high and signals significant water quality management issues.

Consumer Guidance

Residents of Owsley 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 1 recorded health violation, 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

Owsley County has poorer water quality than the average county in Kentucky. Its water score is 16 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 4 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.

Past 5 years

Water Quality Monitoring

Monitoring Sites

1

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

1.7K

1,708 total readings

Most Measured

  • Inorganics, Minor, Metals
  • Physical
  • 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

139cfs

May 14, 6:30 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

13%

Well below typical

Primary Streamgage

SOUTH FORK KENTUCKY RIVER AT BOONEVILLE, KY

USGS site
03281500
Drainage area
722 sq mi
Long-term mean
1,080 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 Owsley County, Kentucky?
Owsley County, Kentucky has a drinking-water quality grade of D with a score of 48.2/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 1 health-based drinking water violation over the past 5 years. Watershed health, monitoring records, and live streamflow are reported separately on this page.
Are there any water violations in Owsley County?
Owsley County has 1 health-based drinking water violation 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 Owsley County?
EPA ATTAINS assessments under Clean Water Act §303(d) indicate 0.0% of Owsley 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 Owsley County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 1,708 measurements from 1 monitoring sites in Owsley County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Inorganics, Minor, Metals, Physical, 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 Owsley County right now?
Owsley County's primary USGS streamgage on the SOUTH FORK KENTUCKY RIVER is currently reading 139 cubic feet per second — 13% of the long-term mean of 1,079.97 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 Owsley County water compare to the Kentucky average?
Owsley County's SDWIS water quality score of 48.2/100 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 Owsley County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Owsley County has a water quality grade of D (48.2/100). 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).
Does Owsley County have clean drinking water?
Owsley County has 1 health-based drinking water violation according to EPA records. With a water quality score of 48.2/100 and grade D, 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 Owsley County rank for water quality in Kentucky?
Owsley County ranks #82 out of 118 counties in Kentucky by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 48.2/100, 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

Boyd County

Kentucky

D

47.8

Water score

Clay County

Kentucky

D

48.9

Water score

Woodford County

Kentucky

D

46.0

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.

Watershed health and impaired-waterway data from the EPA ATTAINS Clean Water Act §303(d) assessments — state-reported, 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.

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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