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Federal water data

County water report

Kent County Water Report

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

Water grade

B

Water score

64.8

State rank

#35

of 83

Health violations

19

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

Not reported

EPA ATTAINS coverage varies by state

Monitoring sites

34

8,567 recent measurements

Live streamflow

89%

GRAND RIVER AT STATE HWY M-11 AT GRANDVILLE, MI

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Kent County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

B

Score: 64.8 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

19

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

Not reported

Coverage varies by state

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

89% of mean

GRAND RIVER AT STATE HWY M-11 AT GRANDVILLE, MI

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

34

8,567 recent readings

Source: EPA SDWIS · Safe Drinking Water Information System

Drinking Water Compliance

Compliance grade

B

Based on EPA SDWIS compliance history.

Water score

Higher scores indicate cleaner recent compliance records.

64.8/100

Health violations

19

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

3.6

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding Kent County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Kent County earns a B grade for drinking water quality, scoring 64.8 out of 100. Over the past five years, EPA SDWIS records 19 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 2026-05-14T13:45:00.000-05:00) puts GRAND RIVER at 4.1k cfs — running somewhat below its historical average at 89% 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. Kent County has moderate coverage with 34 active monitoring sites with 8,567 recent measurements on record. Predominant monitoring categories include physical and not assigned. 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 Kent County

Water Verdict

Kent County receives a fair water quality assessment with a grade of B and a score of 64.8 out of 100. The water supply meets baseline federal standards, but there may be periods of elevated contaminant levels or infrastructure concerns worth monitoring.

Violation Context

Kent County has recorded 19 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 3.6 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is moderate and suggests recurring water quality challenges.

Consumer Guidance

Tap water in Kent County meets baseline safety standards, though the compliance record shows some violations worth watching. Kent County's drinking-water compliance score is 64.8 out of 100. The violation rate for Kent County is 3.6 per 100,000 people served. Running tap water for 30 seconds before drinking can reduce any localized lead exposure from household plumbing. Requesting your utility's most recent Consumer Confidence Report is the fastest way to identify which specific contaminants were flagged. With 34 active water-quality monitoring sites in Kent County, data coverage is strong. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the GRAND RIVER gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Kent County has better water quality than the average county in Michigan. Its water score is 6.3 points higher than the state average, indicating stronger water system performance relative to 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 Kent County's water environment

Official EPA Resources for Kent County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Kent County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Kent County

Consumer Confidence Reports (MI)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in Michigan

Past 5 years

Water Quality Monitoring

Monitoring Sites

34

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

8.6K

8,567 total readings

Most Measured

  • Physical
  • Not Assigned
  • Organics, Pesticide

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

4,090cfs

May 14, 6:45 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

89%

Below typical

Primary Streamgage

GRAND RIVER AT STATE HWY M-11 AT GRANDVILLE, MI

USGS site
04119070
Drainage area
5,010.393 sq mi
Long-term mean
4,594 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.

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Water Cost Estimate

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Annual Total

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Monthly

$47

Water Bill

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Filter Cost

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Safety Grade for Kent 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 Kent County, Michigan?
Kent County, Michigan has a drinking-water quality grade of B with a score of 64.8/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 19 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 Kent County?
Kent County has 19 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 Kent County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 8,567 measurements from 34 monitoring sites in Kent County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Physical, Not Assigned, Organics, Pesticide. 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 Kent County right now?
Kent County's primary USGS streamgage on the GRAND RIVER has a pipeline snapshot of 4,090 cubic feet per second — 89% of the long-term mean of 4,594 cfs. Flow is within typical range for this gauge. For the latest gauge feed, visit waterdata.usgs.gov.
How does Kent County water compare to the Michigan average?
Kent County's SDWIS water quality score of 64.8/100 is higher 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 Kent County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Kent County has a water quality grade of B (64.8/100). This indicates good to excellent water quality with strong SDWIS compliance. 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 Kent County have so many water violations?
Kent County has 19 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 Kent County rank for water quality in Michigan?
Kent County ranks #35 out of 83 counties in Michigan by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 64.8/100, 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

Saginaw County

Michigan

B

64.8

Water score

Houghton County

Michigan

B

65.3

Water score

St. Clair County

Michigan

B

65.6

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.

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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