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County water report

McLeod County Water Report

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

Water grade

C

Water score

50.9

State rank

#67

of 87

Health violations

4

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

0.0%

2 water bodies assessed

Monitoring sites

37

6,566 recent measurements

Live streamflow

No gauge

BUFFALO CREEK NEAR GLENCOE, MN

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for McLeod County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

C

Score: 50.9 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

4

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

0% impaired

2 bodies assessed

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

No gauge

BUFFALO CREEK NEAR GLENCOE, MN

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

37

6,566 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.

50.9/100

Health violations

4

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

14.9

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding McLeod County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

McLeod County's drinking water earned a C grade, scoring 50.9 out of 100. Over the past five years, EPA SDWIS records 4 health-based violations — a pattern that public water utilities are required to disclose and correct.

Watershed Conditions

EPA ATTAINS

Under the Clean Water Act §303(d), EPA ATTAINS tracks whether waterways meet quality standards for drinking, recreation, and aquatic life (reporting cycle: 2022). None of the assessed waterways are listed as impaired (0 of 2 water bodies) across McLeod County's watersheds. Impairment does not mean tap water is unsafe — it measures ambient waterway conditions upstream of treatment, not finished drinking water.

Monitoring Network

EPA WQP

EPA's Water Quality Portal (WQP) aggregates monitoring data from federal, state, and tribal agencies. McLeod County has moderate coverage with 37 active monitoring sites with 6,566 recent measurements on record. Predominant monitoring categories include physical and nutrient. 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 McLeod County

Water Verdict

McLeod County receives a below-average water quality assessment with a grade of C and a score of 50.9 out of 100. Residents should review their utility's Consumer Confidence Report and may want to consider additional water filtration for drinking.

Violation Context

McLeod County has recorded 4 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 14.9 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is high and signals significant water quality management issues.

Consumer Guidance

Tap water in McLeod County meets baseline standards but the compliance record shows room for improvement, with a Grade C rating. McLeod County's drinking-water compliance score is 50.9 out of 100. The violation rate for McLeod County is 14.9 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 37 active water-quality monitoring sites in McLeod County, data coverage is strong. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the BUFFALO CREEK gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

McLeod County has poorer water quality than the average county in Minnesota. Its water score is 16.3 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 McLeod County's water environment

Official EPA Resources for McLeod County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for McLeod County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for McLeod County

Consumer Confidence Reports (MN)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in Minnesota

Clean Water Act §303(d)

Watershed Health

Impaired Water Bodies

0.0%

0 of 2 assessed

Mostly healthy

Top Impairment Causes

No specific impairment causes reported for the assessed water bodies in this county.

Source: EPA ATTAINS · Reporting cycle 2022

Impairment is determined under the Clean Water Act §303(d): a water body is impaired when it fails to meet state-defined quality standards for designated uses (drinking, recreation, aquatic life). Assessment coverage varies by state; counties without assessed water bodies are not shown.

Past 5 years

Water Quality Monitoring

Monitoring Sites

37

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

6.6K

6,566 total readings

Most Measured

  • Physical
  • Nutrient
  • 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

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3 people  ·  ~225 gal/day

Annual Total

$558

Monthly

$47

Water Bill

$558/yr

Filter Cost

$0/yr

Safety Grade for McLeod 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 McLeod County, Minnesota?
McLeod County, Minnesota has a drinking-water quality grade of C with a score of 50.9/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 4 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 McLeod County?
McLeod County has 4 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 healthy are the watersheds in McLeod County?
EPA ATTAINS assessments under Clean Water Act §303(d) indicate 0.0% of McLeod County's 2 assessed water bodies are classified as impaired (0 impaired). Impairment means the water body fails to meet state quality standards for at least one designated use — drinking water source, recreation, aquatic life, or fish consumption. Note: watershed impairment doesn't always translate to tap-water issues; treatment plants can remove most regulated contaminants.
How much water-quality monitoring happens in McLeod County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 6,566 measurements from 37 monitoring sites in McLeod County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Physical, Nutrient, 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 McLeod County water compare to the Minnesota average?
McLeod County's SDWIS water quality score of 50.9/100 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 McLeod County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, McLeod County has a water quality grade of C (50.9/100). 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 McLeod County have clean drinking water?
McLeod County has 4 health-based drinking water violations according to EPA records. With a water quality score of 50.9/100 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 McLeod County rank for water quality in Minnesota?
McLeod County ranks #67 out of 87 counties in Minnesota by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 50.9/100, 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

Yellow Medicine County

Minnesota

C

51.0

Water score

Martin County

Minnesota

C

52.3

Water score

Chisago County

Minnesota

D

49.0

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.

Watershed health and impaired-waterway data from the EPA ATTAINS Clean Water Act §303(d) assessments, state-reported and EPA-finalized.

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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