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Federal water data

County water report

Washington County Water Report

Drinking-water compliance, watershed health, monitoring records, and river conditions for Washington County, Maine.

Water grade

F

Water score

8.1

State rank

#15

of 16

Health violations

52

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

2.3%

87 water bodies assessed

Monitoring sites

69

10,938 recent measurements

Live streamflow

92%

St. Croix River at Baring, Maine

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Washington County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

F

Score: 8.1 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

52

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

2% impaired

87 bodies assessed

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

92% of mean

St. Croix River at Baring, Maine

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

69

10,938 recent readings

Source: EPA SDWIS · Safe Drinking Water Information System

Drinking Water Compliance

Compliance grade

F

Based on EPA SDWIS compliance history.

Water score

Higher scores indicate cleaner recent compliance records.

8.1/100

Health violations

52

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

425.7

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding Washington County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Washington County's water systems carry a failing grade, scoring 8.1 out of 100. Over the past five years, EPA SDWIS records 52 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). A small share — 2.3% — of assessed waterways are impaired (2 of 87 water bodies) across Washington County's watersheds. The leading impairment causes are polychlorinated biphenyls (pcbs) and escherichia coli (e. coli). Impairment does not mean tap water is unsafe — it measures ambient waterway conditions upstream of treatment, not finished drinking water.

River & Streamflow Status

USGS NWIS

USGS NWIS gauge data (as of 2026-05-14T15:00:00.000-04:00) puts St. Croix River at 2.4k cfs — near its historical average at 92% of mean flow. Streamflow is a leading indicator of drought stress, sediment load, and dilution capacity: low flows concentrate pollutants and warm water temperatures, stressing aquatic life and, in surface-water-dependent systems, the source water quality for treatment plants.

Monitoring Network

EPA WQP

EPA's Water Quality Portal (WQP) aggregates monitoring data from federal, state, and tribal agencies. Washington County has extensive coverage with 69 active monitoring sites with 10,938 recent measurements on record. Predominant monitoring categories include physical and nutrient. More monitoring sites generally indicate greater scientific attention to local water conditions — and provide the baseline data that regulators use to set future impairment listings.

Editorial advisory

What the data suggests for Washington County

Water Verdict

Washington County receives a poor water quality assessment with a grade of F and a score of 8.1 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 County has recorded 52 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 425.7 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is high and signals significant water quality management issues.

Consumer Guidance

Washington County has a Grade F compliance record with 52 health-based violations — among the highest levels in the country. Washington County's drinking-water compliance score is 8.1 out of 100. Residents are strongly advised to use a certified NSF 58 reverse-osmosis filter or bottled water for all drinking and cooking until violations are corrected. Contacting the Maine Department of Environmental Quality or Health can expedite utility compliance action. Polychlorinated Biphenyls (Pcbs) is the leading impairment cause in Washington County's watershed. With 69 active water-quality monitoring sites in Washington County, data coverage is strong. Live streamflow monitoring from the St. Croix River gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Washington County has poorer water quality than the average county in Maine. Its water score is 22 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 Washington County's water environment

Watershed Impairment Causes (EPA ATTAINS)

  • 1

    Polychlorinated Biphenyls (Pcbs)

    Impairment cause per EPA Clean Water Act §303(d) assessment

  • 2

    E. coli (bacteria)

    Impairment cause per EPA Clean Water Act §303(d) assessment

Source: EPA ATTAINS · Reporting cycle 2022

Official EPA Resources for Washington County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Washington County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Washington County

Consumer Confidence Reports (ME)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in Maine

Clean Water Act §303(d)

Watershed Health

Impaired Water Bodies

2.3%

2 of 87 assessed

Mostly healthy

Top Impairment Causes

  • 1

    POLYCHLORINATED BIPHENYLS (PCBS)

  • 2

    ESCHERICHIA COLI (E. COLI)

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

69

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

11K

10,938 total readings

Most Measured

  • Physical
  • Nutrient
  • Biological, Algae, Phytoplankton

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

2,440cfs

May 14, 7:00 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

92%

Near typical

Primary Streamgage

St. Croix River at Baring, Maine

USGS site
01021000
Drainage area
1,366 sq mi
Long-term mean
2,664 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; the percent-of-typical value compares the latest reading against that average.

Free tool

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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 Washington 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 Washington County, Maine?
Washington County, Maine has a drinking-water quality grade of F with a score of 8.1/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 52 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 Washington County?
Washington County has 52 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 County?
EPA ATTAINS assessments under Clean Water Act §303(d) indicate 2.3% of Washington County's 87 assessed water bodies are classified as impaired (2 impaired). The top reported causes are POLYCHLORINATED BIPHENYLS (PCBS), ESCHERICHIA COLI (E. COLI). 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 County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 10,938 measurements from 69 monitoring sites in Washington County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Physical, Nutrient, Biological, Algae, Phytoplankton. 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 County right now?
Washington County's primary USGS streamgage on the St. Croix River has a pipeline snapshot of 2,440 cubic feet per second — 92% of the long-term mean of 2,663.98 cfs. Flow is within typical range for this gauge. For the latest gauge feed, visit waterdata.usgs.gov.
How does Washington County water compare to the Maine average?
Washington County's SDWIS water quality score of 8.1/100 is lower than the Maine state average of 30.1. The average water quality grade across Maine is F, based on data from 16 counties with available SDWIS data.
Is tap water safe to drink in Washington County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Washington County has a water quality grade of F (8.1/100). 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 County have so many water violations?
Washington County has 52 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 County rank for water quality in Maine?
Washington County ranks #15 out of 16 counties in Maine by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 8.1/100, 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

Hancock County

Maine

F

8.0

Water score

Waldo County

Maine

F

10.3

Water score

Piscataquis County

Maine

F

11.6

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.

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 Evan Brooks, Data EditorUpdated Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor

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