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County water report

Manistee County Water Report

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

Water grade

A

Water score

86.0

State rank

#15

of 83

Health violations

0

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

Not reported

EPA ATTAINS coverage varies by state

Monitoring sites

42

16,868 recent measurements

Live streamflow

135%

MANISTEE RIVER NEAR WELLSTON, MI

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Manistee County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

A

Score: 86.0 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

0

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

Not reported

Coverage varies by state

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

135% of mean

MANISTEE RIVER NEAR WELLSTON, MI

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

42

16,868 recent readings

Source: EPA SDWIS · Safe Drinking Water Information System

Drinking Water Compliance

Compliance grade

A

Based on EPA SDWIS compliance history.

Water score

Higher scores indicate cleaner recent compliance records.

86.0/100

Health violations

0

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

0.0

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding Manistee County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Manistee County earns an A grade for drinking water quality, scoring 86.0 out of 100. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) records zero health-based violations over the past five years — a strong compliance signal for a mid-sized county.

River & Streamflow Status

USGS NWIS

USGS NWIS gauge data (as of 2026-05-14T13:45:00.000-05:00) puts MANISTEE RIVER at 2.4k cfs — flowing above its historical average at 135% 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. Manistee County has moderate coverage with 42 active monitoring sites with 16,868 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 Manistee County

Water Verdict

Manistee County, Michigan receives an excellent water quality assessment with a grade of A and a score of 86.0 out of 100. The water supply meets or exceeds federal safety standards, and residents can generally drink tap water with confidence. The county's primary USGS gauge drains roughly 1,451 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 134.7%.

Violation Context

EPA SDWIS records for Manistee County, Michigan show zero health-based violations, indicating that the county's water systems met all federal safety standards during the reporting period. The violation rate is zero per 100,000 people served, which is the best possible outcome. This compliance record sits alongside an unusually deep monitoring archive: 16,868 water-quality results have been logged across the county in the EPA Water Quality Portal over the past five years.

Consumer Guidance

The EPA compliance record for Manistee County shows no recent health-based violations. No health-based violations have been recorded, placing Manistee County in the top tier for drinking-water safety. Manistee County's drinking-water compliance score is 86.0 out of 100. As a routine precaution, requesting your utility's annual Consumer Confidence Report each July gives you a full list of detected contaminants and their treatment levels. With 42 active water-quality monitoring sites in Manistee County, data coverage is strong. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the MANISTEE RIVER gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Manistee County has better water quality than the average county in Michigan. Its water score is 27.5 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.

Past 5 years

Water Quality Monitoring

Monitoring Sites

42

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

17K

16,868 total readings

Most Measured

  • Physical
  • Microbiological
  • Nutrient

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

2,390cfs

May 14, 6:45 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

135%

Well above typical

Primary Streamgage

MANISTEE RIVER NEAR WELLSTON, MI

USGS site
04125550
Drainage area
1,451 sq mi
Long-term mean
1,774 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 Manistee County:B — Good

Minor violations; waterways mostly healthy.

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.

Try the full calculator →

Manistee County has good water quality

Learn about water restrictions and conservation in your area.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the water quality in Manistee County, Michigan?
Manistee County, Michigan has a drinking-water quality grade of A with a score of 86.0/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 0 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 Manistee County?
Manistee County has 0 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). Zero violations is an excellent record indicating consistent compliance with federal drinking water standards.
How much water-quality monitoring happens in Manistee County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 16,868 measurements from 42 monitoring sites in Manistee County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Physical, Microbiological, Nutrient. 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 Manistee County right now?
Manistee County's primary USGS streamgage on the MANISTEE RIVER has a pipeline snapshot of 2,390 cubic feet per second — 135% of the long-term mean of 1,773.71 cfs. This is well above typical — often a signal of recent precipitation or storm runoff. For the latest gauge feed, visit waterdata.usgs.gov.
How does Manistee County water compare to the Michigan average?
Manistee County's SDWIS water quality score of 86.0/100 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 Manistee County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Manistee County has a water quality grade of A (86.0/100). 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).
Does Manistee County have clean drinking water?
Manistee County has 0 health-based drinking water violations according to EPA records. With a water quality score of 86.0/100 and grade A, the county's drinking water meets EPA standards with no recorded health violations. 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 Manistee County rank for water quality in Michigan?
Manistee County ranks #15 out of 83 counties in Michigan by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 86.0/100, it falls in the top 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

Alcona County

Michigan

A

86.0

Water score

Alpena County

Michigan

A

86.0

Water score

Arenac County

Michigan

A

86.0

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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