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County water report

Gogebic County Water Report

Drinking-water compliance, watershed health, monitoring records, and river conditions for Gogebic County, Michigan.

Water grade

C

Water score

56.6

State rank

#45

of 83

Health violations

1

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

Not reported

EPA ATTAINS coverage varies by state

Monitoring sites

82

12,915 recent measurements

Live streamflow

43%

BLACK RIVER NEAR BESSEMER, MI

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Gogebic County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

C

Score: 56.6 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

1

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

Not reported

Coverage varies by state

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

43% of mean

BLACK RIVER NEAR BESSEMER, MI

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

82

12,915 recent readings

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.

56.6/100

Health violations

1

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

9.1

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding Gogebic County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Gogebic County's drinking water earned a C grade, scoring 56.6 out of 100. Over the past five years, EPA SDWIS records 1 health-based violation — a single incident worth monitoring.

River & Streamflow Status

USGS NWIS

USGS NWIS gauge data (as of 2026-05-14T13:00:00.000-06:00) puts BLACK RIVER at 105.0 cfs — well below its long-term average at 43% of mean — low-flow conditions worth noting for water-dependent ecosystems. 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. Gogebic County has extensive coverage with 82 active monitoring sites with 12,915 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 Gogebic County

Water Verdict

Gogebic County, Michigan receives a fair water quality assessment with a grade of C and a score of 56.6 out of 100. The water supply meets baseline federal standards, but there may be periods of elevated contaminant levels or infrastructure concerns worth monitoring. The county's primary USGS gauge drains roughly 200 square miles of upstream watershed, giving local source waters a regional footprint. At the most recent USGS reading, local streamflow was below its historical mean at 43.2% — worth watching in drier seasons.

Violation Context

EPA SDWIS records for Gogebic County, Michigan show 1 health-based violation, meaning a water system experienced at least one exceedance of federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements. At 9.1 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is high and signals significant water quality management issues. This compliance record sits alongside an unusually deep monitoring archive: 12,915 water-quality results have been logged across the county in the EPA Water Quality Portal over the past five years.

Consumer Guidance

Tap water in Gogebic County meets baseline standards but the compliance record shows room for improvement, with a Grade C rating. Gogebic County's drinking-water compliance score is 56.6 out of 100. The violation rate for Gogebic County is 9.1 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. With 82 active water-quality monitoring sites in Gogebic County, data coverage is strong. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the BLACK RIVER gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Gogebic County has water quality close to the average county in Michigan. Its water score is within 1.9 points of the state average, meaning its overall water system performance is broadly representative of Michigan as a whole.

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 Gogebic County's water environment

Official EPA Resources for Gogebic County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Gogebic County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Gogebic County

Consumer Confidence Reports (MI)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in Michigan

Past 5 years

Water Quality Monitoring

Monitoring Sites

82

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

13K

12,915 total readings

Most Measured

  • Physical
  • Nutrient
  • Not Assigned

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

105cfs

May 14, 7:00 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

43%

Well below typical

Primary Streamgage

BLACK RIVER NEAR BESSEMER, MI

USGS site
04031000
Drainage area
200 sq mi
Long-term mean
243 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

Estimate Your Water Costs

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 Gogebic County:D — Poor

Elevated violations or significant watershed impairment.

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 Gogebic County, Michigan?
Gogebic County, Michigan has a drinking-water quality grade of C with a score of 56.6/100, 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 streamflow snapshots are reported separately on this page.
Are there any water violations in Gogebic County?
Gogebic 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 much water-quality monitoring happens in Gogebic County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 12,915 measurements from 82 monitoring sites in Gogebic County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Physical, Nutrient, Not Assigned. 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 Gogebic County right now?
Gogebic County's primary USGS streamgage on the BLACK RIVER has a pipeline snapshot of 105 cubic feet per second — 43% of the long-term mean of 243.11 cfs. This is well below typical — often a signal of drought stress on source water. For the latest gauge feed, visit waterdata.usgs.gov.
How does Gogebic County water compare to the Michigan average?
Gogebic County's SDWIS water quality score of 56.6/100 is lower than the Michigan state average of 58.5. The average water quality grade across Michigan is D, based on data from 83 counties with available SDWIS data.
Is tap water safe to drink in Gogebic County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Gogebic County has a water quality grade of C (56.6/100). 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 Gogebic County have clean drinking water?
Gogebic County has 1 health-based drinking water violation according to EPA records. With a water quality score of 56.6/100 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 Gogebic County rank for water quality in Michigan?
Gogebic County ranks #45 out of 83 counties in Michigan by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 56.6/100, 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

Gratiot County

Michigan

C

56.4

Water score

Eaton County

Michigan

C

56.3

Water score

St. Joseph County

Michigan

C

56.3

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

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