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Federal water data

County water report

Martin County Water Report

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

Water grade

C

Water score

52.3

State rank

#65

of 87

Health violations

2

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

Not reported

EPA ATTAINS coverage varies by state

Monitoring sites

27

14,274 recent measurements

Live streamflow

No gauge

Primary USGS station not mapped

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Martin County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

C

Score: 52.3 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

2

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

Not reported

Coverage varies by state

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

No gauge

Primary USGS gauge not mapped

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

27

14,274 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.

52.3/100

Health violations

2

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

13.4

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding Martin County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Martin County's drinking water earned a C grade, scoring 52.3 out of 100. Over the past five years, EPA SDWIS records 2 health-based violations — a small cluster that warrants attention.

Monitoring Network

EPA WQP

EPA's Water Quality Portal (WQP) aggregates monitoring data from federal, state, and tribal agencies. Martin County has moderate coverage with 27 active monitoring sites with 14,274 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 Martin County

Water Verdict

Martin County, Minnesota receives a below-average water quality assessment with a grade of C and a score of 52.3 out of 100. Residents should review their utility's Consumer Confidence Report and may want to consider additional water filtration for drinking.

Violation Context

EPA SDWIS records for Martin County, Minnesota show 2 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 13.4 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: 14,274 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 Martin County meets baseline standards but the compliance record shows room for improvement, with a Grade C rating. Martin County's drinking-water compliance score is 52.3 out of 100. The violation rate for Martin County is 13.4 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 27 active water-quality monitoring sites in Martin County, data coverage is strong.

Regional Context

Martin County has poorer water quality than the average county in Minnesota. Its water score is 14.9 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 Martin County's water environment

Official EPA Resources for Martin County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Martin County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Martin County

Consumer Confidence Reports (MN)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in Minnesota

Past 5 years

Water Quality Monitoring

Monitoring Sites

27

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

14K

14,274 total readings

Most Measured

  • Organics, Pesticide
  • Physical
  • PFAS,Perfluorinated Alkyl Substance

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).

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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 Martin County:D — Poor

Elevated violations or significant watershed impairment.

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 Martin County, Minnesota?
Martin County, Minnesota has a drinking-water quality grade of C with a score of 52.3/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 2 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 Martin County?
Martin County has 2 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 Martin County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 14,274 measurements from 27 monitoring sites in Martin County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Organics, Pesticide, Physical, PFAS,Perfluorinated Alkyl Substance. 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.
How does Martin County water compare to the Minnesota average?
Martin County's SDWIS water quality score of 52.3/100 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 Martin County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Martin County has a water quality grade of C (52.3/100). 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 Martin County have clean drinking water?
Martin County has 2 health-based drinking water violations according to EPA records. With a water quality score of 52.3/100 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 Martin County rank for water quality in Minnesota?
Martin County ranks #65 out of 87 counties in Minnesota by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 52.3/100, 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

Mower County

Minnesota

C

53.0

Water score

Yellow Medicine County

Minnesota

C

51.0

Water score

McLeod County

Minnesota

C

50.9

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.

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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