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County water report

Keweenaw County Water Report

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

Water grade

F

Water score

6.1

State rank

#83

of 83

Health violations

5

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

Not reported

EPA ATTAINS coverage varies by state

Monitoring sites

39

23,551 recent measurements

Live streamflow

20%

WASHINGTON CREEK AT WINDIGO, MI

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Keweenaw County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

F

Score: 6.1 / 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

20% of mean

WASHINGTON CREEK AT WINDIGO, MI

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

39

23,551 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.

6.1/100

Health violations

5

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

605.3

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding Keweenaw County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Keweenaw County's water systems carry a failing grade, scoring 6.1 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 2026-05-14T14:00:00.000-05:00) puts WASHINGTON CREEK at 3.3 cfs — well below its long-term average at 20% 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. Keweenaw County has moderate coverage with 39 active monitoring sites with 23,551 recent measurements on record. Predominant monitoring categories include physical and organics, pcbs. 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 Keweenaw County

Water Verdict

Keweenaw County, Michigan receives a poor water quality assessment with a grade of F and a score of 6.1 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. The county's primary USGS gauge drains roughly 13 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 20.3% — worth watching in drier seasons.

Violation Context

EPA SDWIS records for Keweenaw County, Michigan show 5 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 605.3 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: 23,551 water-quality results have been logged across the county in the EPA Water Quality Portal over the past five years.

Consumer Guidance

Drinking-water compliance in Keweenaw County is rated Grade F, reflecting significant health-based violations in the recent reporting period. Keweenaw County's drinking-water compliance score is 6.1 out of 100. An NSF 53 or NSF 58-certified filter is recommended for drinking and cooking water. Check the Consumer Confidence Report from your utility to identify the specific contaminants and required corrective actions — utilities are legally required to notify customers of violations. With 39 active water-quality monitoring sites in Keweenaw County, data coverage is strong. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the WASHINGTON CREEK gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Keweenaw County has poorer water quality than the average county in Michigan. Its water score is 52.4 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 Keweenaw County's water environment

Official EPA Resources for Keweenaw County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Keweenaw County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Keweenaw County

Consumer Confidence Reports (MI)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in Michigan

Past 5 years

Water Quality Monitoring

Monitoring Sites

39

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

24K

23,551 total readings

Most Measured

  • Physical
  • Organics, PCBs
  • Organics, Other

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

3.25cfs

May 14, 7:00 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

20%

Well below typical

Primary Streamgage

WASHINGTON CREEK AT WINDIGO, MI

USGS site
04001000
Drainage area
13.2 sq mi
Long-term mean
16.0 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

3

3 people  ·  ~225 gal/day

Annual Total

$558

Monthly

$47

Water Bill

$558/yr

Filter Cost

$0/yr

Safety Grade for Keweenaw County:F — Failing

High violation count or severe watershed conditions.

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 Keweenaw County, Michigan?
Keweenaw County, Michigan has a drinking-water quality grade of F with a score of 6.1/100, 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 Keweenaw County?
Keweenaw 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 Keweenaw County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 23,551 measurements from 39 monitoring sites in Keweenaw County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Physical, Organics, PCBs, Organics, Other. 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 Keweenaw County right now?
Keweenaw County's primary USGS streamgage on the WASHINGTON CREEK has a pipeline snapshot of 3.25 cubic feet per second — 20% of the long-term mean of 16 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 Keweenaw County water compare to the Michigan average?
Keweenaw County's SDWIS water quality score of 6.1/100 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 Keweenaw County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Keweenaw County has a water quality grade of F (6.1/100). 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).
Does Keweenaw County have clean drinking water?
Keweenaw County has 5 health-based drinking water violations according to EPA records. With a water quality score of 6.1/100 and grade F, 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 Keweenaw County rank for water quality in Michigan?
Keweenaw County ranks #83 out of 83 counties in Michigan by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 6.1/100, 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

Baraga County

Michigan

F

12.9

Water score

Barry County

Michigan

F

14.0

Water score

Benzie County

Michigan

F

14.7

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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