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County water report

Lapeer County Water Report

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

Water grade

F

Water score

23.5

State rank

#75

of 83

Health violations

20

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

Not reported

EPA ATTAINS coverage varies by state

Monitoring sites

27

4,262 recent measurements

Live streamflow

111%

SOUTH BRANCH FLINT RIVER NEAR COLUMBIAVILLE,MI

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Lapeer County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

F

Score: 23.5 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

20

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

Not reported

Coverage varies by state

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

111% of mean

SOUTH BRANCH FLINT RIVER NEAR COLUMBIAVILLE,MI

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

27

4,262 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.

23.5/100

Health violations

20

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

97.9

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding Lapeer County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Lapeer County's water systems carry a failing grade, scoring 23.5 out of 100. Over the past five years, EPA SDWIS records 20 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 2026-05-14T13:30:00.000-05:00) puts SOUTH BRANCH FLINT RIVER at 188.0 cfs — flowing above its historical average at 111% 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. Lapeer County has moderate coverage with 27 active monitoring sites with 4,262 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 Lapeer County

Water Verdict

Lapeer County, Michigan receives a poor water quality assessment with a grade of F and a score of 23.5 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 221 square miles of upstream watershed, giving local source waters a regional footprint. At the most recent USGS reading, local streamflow was running above its historical mean at 111.2%.

Violation Context

EPA SDWIS records for Lapeer County, Michigan show 20 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 97.9 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is high and signals significant water quality management issues. For independent context, 4,262 water-quality monitoring results have been recorded across the county in the EPA Water Quality Portal over the past five years.

Consumer Guidance

Drinking-water compliance in Lapeer County is rated Grade F, reflecting significant health-based violations in the recent reporting period. Lapeer County's drinking-water compliance score is 23.5 out of 100. The violation rate for Lapeer County is 97.9 per 100,000 people served. 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 27 active water-quality monitoring sites in Lapeer County, data coverage is strong. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the SOUTH BRANCH FLINT RIVER gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Lapeer County has poorer water quality than the average county in Michigan. Its water score is 35 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 Lapeer County's water environment

Official EPA Resources for Lapeer County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Lapeer County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Lapeer County

Consumer Confidence Reports (MI)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in Michigan

Past 5 years

Water Quality Monitoring

Monitoring Sites

27

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

4.3K

4,262 total readings

Most Measured

  • Physical
  • Not Assigned
  • Microbiological

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

188cfs

May 14, 6:30 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

111%

Above typical

Primary Streamgage

SOUTH BRANCH FLINT RIVER NEAR COLUMBIAVILLE,MI

USGS site
04146063
Drainage area
221 sq mi
Long-term mean
169 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 Lapeer 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 Lapeer County, Michigan?
Lapeer County, Michigan has a drinking-water quality grade of F with a score of 23.5/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 20 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 Lapeer County?
Lapeer County has 20 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 Lapeer County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 4,262 measurements from 27 monitoring sites in Lapeer County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Physical, Not Assigned, Microbiological. 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 Lapeer County right now?
Lapeer County's primary USGS streamgage on the SOUTH BRANCH FLINT RIVER has a pipeline snapshot of 188 cubic feet per second — 111% of the long-term mean of 169.06 cfs. Flow is within typical range for this gauge. For the latest gauge feed, visit waterdata.usgs.gov.
How does Lapeer County water compare to the Michigan average?
Lapeer County's SDWIS water quality score of 23.5/100 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 Lapeer County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Lapeer County has a water quality grade of F (23.5/100). 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 Lapeer County have so many water violations?
Lapeer County has 20 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 Lapeer County rank for water quality in Michigan?
Lapeer County ranks #75 out of 83 counties in Michigan by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 23.5/100, 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

Delta County

Michigan

F

23.1

Water score

Lenawee County

Michigan

F

23.9

Water score

Shiawassee County

Michigan

F

23.0

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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