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County water report

Isabella County Water Report

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

Water grade

C

Water score

52.3

State rank

#53

of 83

Health violations

5

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

Not reported

EPA ATTAINS coverage varies by state

Monitoring sites

41

15,487 recent measurements

Live streamflow

80%

CHIPPEWA RIVER NEAR MOUNT PLEASANT, MI

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Isabella County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

C

Score: 52.3 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

5

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

Not reported

Coverage varies by state

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

80% of mean

CHIPPEWA RIVER NEAR MOUNT PLEASANT, MI

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

41

15,487 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.

52.3/100

Health violations

5

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

13.4

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding Isabella County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Isabella County's drinking water earned a C grade, scoring 52.3 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.

River & Streamflow Status

USGS NWIS

USGS NWIS gauge data (as of 2026-05-14T13:15:00.000-05:00) puts CHIPPEWA RIVER at 271.0 cfs — running somewhat below its historical average at 80% of mean. 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. Isabella County has moderate coverage with 41 active monitoring sites with 15,487 recent measurements on record. Predominant monitoring categories include physical and microbiological. 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 Isabella County

Water Verdict

Isabella County receives a below-average water quality assessment with a grade of C and a score of 52.3 out of 100. Residents should review their utility's Consumer Confidence Report and may want to consider additional water filtration for drinking.

Violation Context

Isabella County has recorded 5 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 13.4 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is high and signals significant water quality management issues.

Consumer Guidance

Tap water in Isabella County meets baseline standards but the compliance record shows room for improvement, with a Grade C rating. Isabella County's drinking-water compliance score is 52.3 out of 100. The violation rate for Isabella County is 13.4 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 41 active water-quality monitoring sites in Isabella County, data coverage is strong. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the CHIPPEWA RIVER gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Isabella County has poorer water quality than the average county in Michigan. Its water score is 6.2 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 Isabella County's water environment

Official EPA Resources for Isabella County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Isabella County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Isabella County

Consumer Confidence Reports (MI)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in Michigan

Past 5 years

Water Quality Monitoring

Monitoring Sites

41

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

15K

15,487 total readings

Most Measured

  • Physical
  • Microbiological
  • 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

271cfs

May 14, 6:15 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

80%

Below typical

Primary Streamgage

CHIPPEWA RIVER NEAR MOUNT PLEASANT, MI

USGS site
04154000
Drainage area
416 sq mi
Long-term mean
340 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 Isabella 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 Isabella County, Michigan?
Isabella County, Michigan has a drinking-water quality grade of C with a score of 52.3/100, 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 Isabella County?
Isabella 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 much water-quality monitoring happens in Isabella County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 15,487 measurements from 41 monitoring sites in Isabella County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Physical, Microbiological, 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 Isabella County right now?
Isabella County's primary USGS streamgage on the CHIPPEWA RIVER has a pipeline snapshot of 271 cubic feet per second — 80% of the long-term mean of 339.74 cfs. Flow is within typical range for this gauge. For the latest gauge feed, visit waterdata.usgs.gov.
How does Isabella County water compare to the Michigan average?
Isabella County's SDWIS water quality score of 52.3/100 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 Isabella County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Isabella County has a water quality grade of C (52.3/100). 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 Isabella County have clean drinking water?
Isabella County has 5 health-based drinking water violations according to EPA records. With a water quality score of 52.3/100 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 Isabella County rank for water quality in Michigan?
Isabella County ranks #53 out of 83 counties in Michigan by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 52.3/100, 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

Ionia County

Michigan

C

52.2

Water score

Jackson County

Michigan

C

52.5

Water score

Marquette County

Michigan

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.

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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