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Federal water data

County water report

Rowan County Water Report

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

Water grade

C

Water score

51.1

State rank

#80

of 118

Health violations

5

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

0.0%

2 water bodies assessed

Monitoring sites

N/A

EPA Water Quality Portal

Live streamflow

No gauge

LICKING RIVER AT HWY 60 AT FARMERS, KY

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Rowan County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

C

Score: 51.1 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

5

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

0% impaired

2 bodies assessed

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

No gauge

LICKING RIVER AT HWY 60 AT FARMERS, 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.

51.1/100

Health violations

5

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

14.6

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding Rowan County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Rowan County's drinking water earned a C grade, scoring 51.1 out of 100. Over the past five years, EPA SDWIS records 5 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 2 water bodies) across Rowan County's watersheds. Impairment does not mean tap water is unsafe — it measures ambient waterway conditions upstream of treatment, not finished drinking water.

Editorial advisory

What the data suggests for Rowan County

Water Verdict

Rowan County receives a below-average water quality assessment with a grade of C and a score of 51.1 out of 100. Residents should review their utility's Consumer Confidence Report and may want to consider additional water filtration for drinking.

Violation Context

Rowan County has recorded 5 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 14.6 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is high and signals significant water quality management issues.

Consumer Guidance

Tap water in Rowan County meets baseline standards but the compliance record shows room for improvement, with a Grade C rating. Rowan County's drinking-water compliance score is 51.1 out of 100. The violation rate for Rowan County is 14.6 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 LICKING RIVER gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Rowan County has poorer water quality than the average county in Kentucky. Its water score is 13.1 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 Rowan County's water environment

Official EPA Resources for Rowan County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Rowan County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Rowan 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 2 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.

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Safety Grade for Rowan 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 Rowan County, Kentucky?
Rowan County, Kentucky has a drinking-water quality grade of C with a score of 51.1/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 5 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 Rowan County?
Rowan County has 5 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 Rowan County?
EPA ATTAINS assessments under Clean Water Act §303(d) indicate 0.0% of Rowan County's 2 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 does Rowan County water compare to the Kentucky average?
Rowan County's SDWIS water quality score of 51.1/100 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 Rowan County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Rowan County has a water quality grade of C (51.1/100). 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 Rowan County have clean drinking water?
Rowan County has 5 health-based drinking water violations according to EPA records. With a water quality score of 51.1/100 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 Rowan County rank for water quality in Kentucky?
Rowan County ranks #80 out of 118 counties in Kentucky by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 51.1/100, 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

Carter County

Kentucky

C

51.8

Water score

Lincoln County

Kentucky

C

52.0

Water score

Bourbon County

Kentucky

C

52.7

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.

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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