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County water report

Clay County Water Report

Drinking-water compliance, watershed health, monitoring records, and river conditions for Clay County, Minnesota.

Water grade

C

Water score

62.0

State rank

#55

of 87

Health violations

3

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

Not reported

EPA ATTAINS coverage varies by state

Monitoring sites

59

36,822 recent measurements

Live streamflow

75%

BUFFALO RIVER NEAR DILWORTH, MN

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Clay County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

C

Score: 62.0 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

3

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

Not reported

Coverage varies by state

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

75% of mean

BUFFALO RIVER NEAR DILWORTH, MN

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

59

36,822 recent readings

Source: EPA SDWIS · Safe Drinking Water Information System

Drinking Water Compliance

Compliance grade

C

Based on EPA SDWIS compliance history.

Water score

Higher scores indicate cleaner recent compliance records.

62.0/100

Health violations

3

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

5.2

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding Clay County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Clay County's drinking water earned a C grade, scoring 62.0 out of 100. Over the past five years, EPA SDWIS records 3 health-based violations — a small cluster that warrants attention.

River & Streamflow Status

USGS NWIS

USGS NWIS gauge data (as of 2026-05-14T14:00:00.000-05:00) puts BUFFALO RIVER at 144.0 cfs — running somewhat below its historical average at 75% 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. Clay County has extensive coverage with 59 active monitoring sites with 36,822 recent measurements on record. Predominant monitoring categories include organics, pesticide and physical. 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 Clay County

Water Verdict

Clay County, Minnesota receives a fair water quality assessment with a grade of C and a score of 62.0 out of 100. The water supply meets baseline federal standards, but there may be periods of elevated contaminant levels or infrastructure concerns worth monitoring. The county's primary USGS gauge drains roughly 975 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 75.1% — worth watching in drier seasons.

Violation Context

EPA SDWIS records for Clay County, Minnesota show 3 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 5.2 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is moderate and suggests recurring water quality challenges. This compliance record sits alongside an unusually deep monitoring archive: 36,822 water-quality results have been logged across the county in the EPA Water Quality Portal over the past five years.

Consumer Guidance

Tap water in Clay County meets baseline standards but the compliance record shows room for improvement, with a Grade C rating. Clay County's drinking-water compliance score is 62.0 out of 100. The violation rate for Clay County is 5.2 per 100,000 people served. Residents who are immunocompromised, pregnant, or have young children may benefit from using an NSF 53-certified filter. Contacting your local utility for the current Consumer Confidence Report will confirm which specific violations were recorded and whether they have been resolved. With 59 active water-quality monitoring sites in Clay County, data coverage is strong. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the BUFFALO RIVER gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Clay County has poorer water quality than the average county in Minnesota. Its water score is 5.2 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 Clay County's water environment

Official EPA Resources for Clay County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Clay County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Clay County

Consumer Confidence Reports (MN)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in Minnesota

Past 5 years

Water Quality Monitoring

Monitoring Sites

59

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

37K

36,822 total readings

Most Measured

  • Organics, Pesticide
  • Physical
  • 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

144cfs

May 14, 7:00 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

75%

Below typical

Primary Streamgage

BUFFALO RIVER NEAR DILWORTH, MN

USGS site
05062000
Drainage area
975 sq mi
Long-term mean
192 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 Clay 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 Clay County, Minnesota?
Clay County, Minnesota has a drinking-water quality grade of C with a score of 62.0/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 3 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 Clay County?
Clay County has 3 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 Clay County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 36,822 measurements from 59 monitoring sites in Clay County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Organics, Pesticide, Physical, 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 Clay County right now?
Clay County's primary USGS streamgage on the BUFFALO RIVER has a pipeline snapshot of 144 cubic feet per second — 75% of the long-term mean of 191.65 cfs. Flow is within typical range for this gauge. For the latest gauge feed, visit waterdata.usgs.gov.
How does Clay County water compare to the Minnesota average?
Clay County's SDWIS water quality score of 62.0/100 is lower than the Minnesota state average of 67.2. The average water quality grade across Minnesota is C, based on data from 87 counties with available SDWIS data.
Is tap water safe to drink in Clay County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Clay County has a water quality grade of C (62.0/100). This indicates moderate compliance. Some violations have been recorded but overall standards are maintained. 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 Clay County have clean drinking water?
Clay County has 3 health-based drinking water violations according to EPA records. With a water quality score of 62.0/100 and grade C, 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 Clay County rank for water quality in Minnesota?
Clay County ranks #55 out of 87 counties in Minnesota by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 62.0/100, 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

Beltrami County

Minnesota

C

61.0

Water score

Goodhue County

Minnesota

C

60.4

Water score

Scott County

Minnesota

C

59.8

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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