waterbycounty
EPA SDWIS

Washington Parish Water Quality

Washington Parish, Louisiana

Water Grade

F

Water Score

25.5

Violations

29

State Rank

#27

of 63 (1 = best)

EPA SDWIS Compliance

Drinking Water Quality

Water Quality Grade

F

Based on EPA compliance history and violation data

Water Score

25.5/100

Higher = better quality

Health Violations

29

Health-based violations

Violation Rate

88.2%

Systems with violations

Water Advisory: Washington Parish

Water Verdict

Washington Parish receives a poor water quality assessment with a grade of F and a score of 25.5 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.

Violation Context

Washington Parish has recorded 29 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 88.2 violations per 1,000 residents, this rate is high and signals significant water quality management issues.

Consumer Guidance

Residents of Washington Parish 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 29 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

Washington Parish has water quality close to the average county in Louisiana. Its water score is within 4.6 points of the state average, meaning its overall water system performance is broadly representative of Louisiana as a whole.

Clean Water Act §303(d)

Watershed Health

Impaired Water Bodies

77.4%

41 of 53 assessed

High concern

Top Impairment Causes

  • 1

    MERCURY - FISH CONSUMPTION ADVISORY

  • 2

    DISSOLVED OXYGEN

  • 3

    ENTEROCOCCUS

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

9

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

2.1K

2,094 total readings

Most Measured

  • Physical
  • Organics, Other
  • Nutrient

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

16.4Kcfs

May 14, 6:00 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

162%

Well above typical

Primary Streamgage

Pearl River near Bogalusa, LA

USGS site
02489500
Drainage area
6,573 sq mi
Long-term mean
10.1K 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 Washington Parish, Louisiana?
Washington Parish, Louisiana has a drinking-water quality grade of F with a score of 25.5/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 29 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 Washington Parish?
Washington Parish has 29 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 Washington Parish?
EPA ATTAINS assessments under Clean Water Act §303(d) indicate 77.4% of Washington Parish's 53 assessed water bodies are classified as impaired (41 impaired). The top reported causes are MERCURY - FISH CONSUMPTION ADVISORY, DISSOLVED OXYGEN, ENTEROCOCCUS. 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 Washington Parish?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 2,094 measurements from 9 monitoring sites in Washington Parish over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Physical, Organics, Other, Nutrient. 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 Washington Parish right now?
Washington Parish's primary USGS streamgage on the Pearl River is currently reading 16,400 cubic feet per second — 162% of the long-term mean of 10,147.41 cfs. This is well above typical — often a signal of recent precipitation or storm runoff. For genuine real-time data, visit waterdata.usgs.gov.
How does Washington Parish water compare to the Louisiana average?
Washington Parish's SDWIS water quality score of 25.5/100 is lower than the Louisiana state average of 30.1. The average water quality grade across Louisiana is F, based on data from 63 counties with available SDWIS data.
Is tap water safe to drink in Washington Parish?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Washington Parish has a water quality grade of F (25.5/100). 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 Washington Parish have so many water violations?
Washington Parish has 29 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 Washington Parish rank for water quality in Louisiana?
Washington Parish ranks #27 out of 63 counties in Louisiana by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 25.5/100, 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

Catahoula Parish

Louisiana

F

25.7

Water score

Avoyelles Parish

Louisiana

F

27.0

Water score

Vermilion Parish

Louisiana

F

27.1

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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