waterbycounty
Compiled federal source snapshot

Minnesota Water Quality

Drinking water data for all 87 counties.

Avg SDWIS Compliance Index

62.3

Most Common Five-Year SDWIS Compliance Band

A

Counties with Data

87

of 87 total

County water atlas

Minnesota water signals by county

A state-level 2.5D view across drinking-water compliance, watershed impairment, monitoring density, and streamflow snapshot context. Pin any county, switch layers, then use the lens controls to compare index ranges, recorded violation rates, or impaired watersheds without leaving the page.

Counties

87

Avg SDWIS index

62.3

Watersheds

3

ATTAINS counties

Monitoring

87

52 fresh USGS snapshots

State atlas layers combine EPA SDWIS health-based violations, EPA ATTAINS 303(d) impairment assessments, EPA Water Quality Portal monitoring sites, and representative USGS NWIS streamflow gauges. Streamflow values appear only for fresh pipeline snapshots, not as a continuously updated stream. County pages include the observation time and year.

Prepared by ByCounty Editorial TeamPublished by WaterByCounty

Multi-source coverage in Minnesota

Beyond Drinking Water

EPA SDWIS

87/ 87

counties with drinking-water compliance data

279 health violations statewide (5yr)

EPA ATTAINS

36.8%

avg impaired across 3 counties

23 of 63 assessed bodies impaired

EPA WQP

10,878

monitoring sites across 87 counties

3,018,272 total readings (5yr window)

USGS NWIS

52

counties with a fresh pipeline snapshot

7 above42 below

State atlas notes

What stands out in Minnesota

County water quality is not one number. The strongest read comes from comparing drinking-water compliance against watershed impairment, monitoring density, and streamflow context. Use these signals as a starting point, then open any county profile for source-level detail.

Compliance spread

Benton County has the highest value in the published state SDWIS Compliance Index table at 86.2/100, while Roseau County has the lowest at 6.5/100. That is a 79.7 point gap inside one state.

Zero health violations

42

3+ health violations

27

Watershed pressure

The atlas impairment layer points to counties where assessed water bodies are most likely to miss state quality standards. Assessment density varies, so compare the percentage with the number of assessed bodies on the county page.

Clearwater County60.0%Beltrami County38.0%Lake of the Woods County12.5%

Monitoring hubs

St. Louis County978 sitesLake County876 sitesBeltrami County479 sites

Lowest flow reads

Cottonwood County9%Pine County9%Jackson County10%

Highest fresh streamflow pipeline snapshots: Big Stone County (471%, observation 2026), Sibley County (457%, observation 2026), Traverse County (292%, observation 2026). These are source-data observations, not household tap-water conclusions.

All Minnesota Counties

CountySDWIS Compliance Index
Benton County86.2
Big Stone County86.2
Brown County86.2
Carlton County86.2
Cass County86.2
Chippewa County86.2
Clearwater County86.2
Cook County86.2
Cottonwood County86.2
Dodge County86.2
Fillmore County86.2
Hennepin County86.2
Houston County86.2
Isanti County86.2
Itasca County86.2
Kanabec County86.2
Kittson County86.2
Koochiching County86.2
Lac qui Parle County86.2
Lake County86.2
Lake of the Woods County86.2
Lincoln County86.2
Lyon County86.2
Mahnomen County86.2
Mille Lacs County86.2
Murray County86.2
Olmsted County86.2
Pipestone County86.2
Pope County86.2
Red Lake County86.2
Redwood County86.2
Renville County86.2
Rock County86.2
Sherburne County86.2
Stevens County86.2
Swift County86.2
Todd County86.2
Wabasha County86.2
Wadena County86.2
Washington County86.2
Wilkin County86.2
Winona County86.2
Ramsey County71.9
Carver County69.0
Anoka County67.8
Stearns County67.8
Scott County64.8
Wright County64.1
Clay County61.6
St. Louis County59.1
Beltrami County56.3
Mower County55.4
Morrison County54.0
Meeker County51.4
Goodhue County50.2
Dakota County49.3
Pennington County47.9
Rice County46.2
Marshall County45.4
Crow Wing County45.0
Polk County43.8
Yellow Medicine County43.6
Jackson County42.2
Nicollet County41.4
Le Sueur County40.7
Hubbard County40.1
McLeod County40.1
Faribault County38.1
Nobles County36.7
Steele County36.4
Waseca County36.1
Blue Earth County35.8
Watonwan County35.2
Norman County34.4
Martin County26.3
Kandiyohi County24.6
Pine County24.4
Chisago County23.3
Douglas County21.1
Aitkin County20.8
Becker County20.4
Grant County14.8
Traverse County14.3
Freeborn County13.3
Otter Tail County13.1
Sibley County8.9
Roseau County6.5

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Minnesota county has the highest SDWIS Compliance Index?
Benton County has the highest SDWIS Compliance Index in the published Minnesota cohort at 86.2/100. This WaterByCounty relative comparison is not an EPA score and does not establish current conditions for a utility or address.
What does the Five-Year SDWIS Compliance Band mean?
The band is derived only from each county aggregation's recorded health-violation rate per 100,000 people served for the stated five-year source window. It is separate from the relative SDWIS Compliance Index and is not a current determination for a specific utility or address.
What does EPA ATTAINS report across Minnesota?
Across 3 published Minnesota county records with EPA ATTAINS data, 23 of 63 assessed water bodies are listed as impaired. This is a watershed assessment and does not describe finished household tap water.
Which USGS streamflow records are shown across Minnesota?
WaterByCounty has 52 fresh USGS pipeline snapshots in the published Minnesota cohort. Each county page shows its observation timestamp and year. A pipeline snapshot is not a continuously updated reading or a tap-water safety measure.
Where can Minnesota residents find current official information?
Review the applicable utility's Consumer Confidence Report, active notices, and the state drinking-water agency. WaterByCounty's county-level historical aggregations do not establish the current status of a specific utility, address, private well, or household plumbing system.
What does Water Quality Portal monitoring volume show in Minnesota?
The published county records contain 3,018,272 results from 10,878 monitoring locations in the site's five-year aggregation. Monitoring volume does not by itself indicate better or worse water quality.

Data Sources

Drinking-water compliance data from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) via the ECHO enforcement database. The WaterByCounty SDWIS Compliance Index reflects the recorded rate and is not an EPA score.

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.

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