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County water report

Nicollet County Water Report

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

Water grade

D

Water score

44.6

State rank

#70

of 87

Health violations

7

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

Not reported

EPA ATTAINS coverage varies by state

Monitoring sites

37

24,806 recent measurements

Live streamflow

128%

MINNESOTA RIVER AT NEW ULM, MN

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Nicollet County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

D

Score: 44.6 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

7

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

Not reported

Coverage varies by state

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

128% of mean

MINNESOTA RIVER AT NEW ULM, MN

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

37

24,806 recent readings

Source: EPA SDWIS · Safe Drinking Water Information System

Drinking Water Compliance

Compliance grade

D

Based on EPA SDWIS compliance history.

Water score

Higher scores indicate cleaner recent compliance records.

44.6/100

Health violations

7

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

24.5

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding Nicollet County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Nicollet County's drinking water received a D grade, scoring 44.6 out of 100. Over the past five years, EPA SDWIS records 7 health-based violations — a pattern that public water utilities are required to disclose and correct.

River & Streamflow Status

USGS NWIS

USGS NWIS gauge data (as of 2026-05-14T13:45:00.000-05:00) puts MINNESOTA RIVER at 3.8k cfs — flowing above its historical average at 128% 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. Nicollet County has moderate coverage with 37 active monitoring sites with 24,806 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 Nicollet County

Water Verdict

Nicollet County receives a below-average water quality assessment with a grade of D and a score of 44.6 out of 100. Residents should review their utility's Consumer Confidence Report and may want to consider additional water filtration for drinking.

Violation Context

Nicollet County has recorded 7 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 24.5 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is high and signals significant water quality management issues.

Consumer Guidance

Nicollet County's drinking-water compliance is below average with a Grade D, indicating repeated or unresolved violations in the recent record. Nicollet County's drinking-water compliance score is 44.6 out of 100. The violation rate for Nicollet County is 24.5 per 100,000 people served. Residents are encouraged to use an NSF 53 or NSF 58-certified filter for drinking and cooking water until the underlying violations are resolved. Running tap water for 30 seconds before use and avoiding older lead-pipe connections can also reduce exposure risk. The current Consumer Confidence Report from your utility will specify the contaminants of concern. With 37 active water-quality monitoring sites in Nicollet County, data coverage is strong. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the MINNESOTA RIVER gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Nicollet County has poorer water quality than the average county in Minnesota. Its water score is 22.6 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 Nicollet County's water environment

Official EPA Resources for Nicollet County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Nicollet County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Nicollet County

Consumer Confidence Reports (MN)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in Minnesota

Past 5 years

Water Quality Monitoring

Monitoring Sites

37

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

25K

24,806 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

3,810cfs

May 14, 6:45 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

128%

Above typical

Primary Streamgage

MINNESOTA RIVER AT NEW ULM, MN

USGS site
05316770
Drainage area
9,590 sq mi
Long-term mean
2,977 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.

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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 Nicollet 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 Nicollet County, Minnesota?
Nicollet County, Minnesota has a drinking-water quality grade of D with a score of 44.6/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 7 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 Nicollet County?
Nicollet County has 7 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 Nicollet County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 24,806 measurements from 37 monitoring sites in Nicollet 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 Nicollet County right now?
Nicollet County's primary USGS streamgage on the MINNESOTA RIVER has a pipeline snapshot of 3,810 cubic feet per second — 128% of the long-term mean of 2,977.25 cfs. Flow is within typical range for this gauge. For the latest gauge feed, visit waterdata.usgs.gov.
How does Nicollet County water compare to the Minnesota average?
Nicollet County's SDWIS water quality score of 44.6/100 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 Nicollet County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Nicollet County has a water quality grade of D (44.6/100). This indicates below-average compliance with significant violations. Residents may want to consider home water filtration or independent testing. 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).
Why does Nicollet County have so many water violations?
Nicollet County has 7 health-based drinking water violations on record from the EPA SDWIS database. A higher violation count can result from aging infrastructure, underfunded water utilities, agricultural runoff contamination, or industrial pollution. Counties with more water systems may also see more violations simply due to scale. Residents concerned about water quality should consider independent water testing and home filtration systems.
How does Nicollet County rank for water quality in Minnesota?
Nicollet County ranks #70 out of 87 counties in Minnesota by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 44.6/100, 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

Freeborn County

Minnesota

D

46.4

Water score

Morrison County

Minnesota

D

42.6

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.

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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