waterbycounty
EPA SDWIS

St. Louis County Water Quality

St. Louis County, Minnesota

Water Grade

C

Water Score

57.2

Violations

13

State Rank

#61

of 87 (1 = best)

EPA SDWIS Compliance

Drinking Water Quality

Water Quality Grade

C

Based on EPA compliance history and violation data

Water Score

57.2/100

Higher = better quality

Health Violations

13

Health-based violations

Violation Rate

8.6%

Systems with violations

Water Advisory: St. Louis County

Water Verdict

St. Louis County receives a fair water quality assessment with a grade of C and a score of 57.2 out of 100. The water supply meets baseline federal standards, but there may be periods of elevated contaminant levels or infrastructure concerns worth monitoring.

Violation Context

St. Louis County has recorded 13 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 8.6 violations per 1,000 residents, this rate is high and signals significant water quality management issues.

Consumer Guidance

Tap water in St. Louis County meets baseline standards, but residents who are immunocompromised or have young children may want to use an NSF-certified water filter as a precaution. With 13 recorded health violations, staying informed about utility communications and boil-water notices is especially important. For long-term peace of mind, request your utility's latest Consumer Confidence Report and consider independent water testing if you have specific health concerns.

Regional Context

St. Louis County has poorer water quality than the average county in Minnesota. Its water score is 10 points lower than the state average, suggesting more challenges with contamination control or infrastructure than neighboring counties.

Clean Water Act §303(d)

Watershed Health

Impaired Water Bodies

0.0%

0 of 3 assessed

Mostly healthy

Top Impairment Causes

No specific impairment causes reported for this county's assessed water bodies.

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

927

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

112K

112,483 total readings

Most Measured

  • Physical
  • PFAS,Perfluorinated Alkyl Substance
  • Microbiological

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

1,160cfs

May 14, 6:30 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

188%

Well above typical

Primary Streamgage

VERMILION RIVER NR CRANE LAKE, MN

USGS site
05129115
Drainage area
905 sq mi
Long-term mean
616 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; "% of typical" compares the latest reading against that average.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the water quality in St. Louis County, Minnesota?
St. Louis County, Minnesota has a drinking-water quality grade of C with a score of 57.2/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 13 health-based drinking water violations over the past 5 years. Watershed health, monitoring records, and live streamflow are reported separately on this page.
Are there any water violations in St. Louis County?
St. Louis County has 13 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 St. Louis County?
EPA ATTAINS assessments under Clean Water Act §303(d) indicate 0.0% of St. Louis County's 3 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 St. Louis County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 112,483 measurements from 927 monitoring sites in St. Louis County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Physical, PFAS,Perfluorinated Alkyl Substance, Microbiological. 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 St. Louis County right now?
St. Louis County's primary USGS streamgage on the VERMILION RIVER is currently reading 1,160 cubic feet per second — 188% of the long-term mean of 615.6 cfs. This is well above typical — often a signal of recent precipitation or storm runoff. For genuine real-time data, visit waterdata.usgs.gov.
How does St. Louis County water compare to the Minnesota average?
St. Louis County's SDWIS water quality score of 57.2/100 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 St. Louis County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, St. Louis County has a water quality grade of C (57.2/100). 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).
Why does St. Louis County have so many water violations?
St. Louis County has 13 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 St. Louis County rank for water quality in Minnesota?
St. Louis County ranks #61 out of 87 counties in Minnesota by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 57.2/100, 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

Winona County

Minnesota

C

58.6

Water score

Scott County

Minnesota

C

59.8

Water score

Steele 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.

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

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 Logan Johnson, Founder & Data EditorUpdated Reviewed by Logan Johnson, Founder & Data Editor

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