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Federal water data

County water report

Jackson County Water Report

Drinking-water compliance, watershed health, monitoring records, and river conditions for Jackson County, Mississippi.

Water grade

C

Water score

56.6

State rank

#39

of 82

Health violations

12

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

Not reported

EPA ATTAINS coverage varies by state

Monitoring sites

68

23,886 recent measurements

Live streamflow

438%

PASCAGOULA RIVER AT GRAHAM FERRY, MS

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Jackson County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

C

Score: 56.6 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

12

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

Not reported

Coverage varies by state

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

438% of mean

PASCAGOULA RIVER AT GRAHAM FERRY, MS

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

68

23,886 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.

56.6/100

Health violations

12

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

9.1

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding Jackson County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Jackson County's drinking water earned a C grade, scoring 56.6 out of 100. Over the past five years, EPA SDWIS records 12 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 PASCAGOULA RIVER at 56.9k cfs — running significantly above its long-term average at 438% of mean flow. 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. Jackson County has extensive coverage with 68 active monitoring sites with 23,886 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 Jackson County

Water Verdict

Jackson County, Mississippi receives a fair water quality assessment with a grade of C and a score of 56.6 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 8,204 square miles of upstream watershed, giving local source waters a regional footprint. At the most recent USGS reading, local streamflow was running above its historical mean at 438.4%.

Violation Context

EPA SDWIS records for Jackson County, Mississippi show 12 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 9.1 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: 23,886 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 Jackson County meets baseline standards but the compliance record shows room for improvement, with a Grade C rating. Jackson County's drinking-water compliance score is 56.6 out of 100. The violation rate for Jackson County is 9.1 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 68 active water-quality monitoring sites in Jackson County, data coverage is strong. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the PASCAGOULA RIVER gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Jackson County has water quality close to the average county in Mississippi. Its water score is within 4.9 points of the state average, meaning its overall water system performance is broadly representative of Mississippi as a whole.

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 Jackson County's water environment

Official EPA Resources for Jackson County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Jackson County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Jackson County

Consumer Confidence Reports (MS)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in Mississippi

Past 5 years

Water Quality Monitoring

Monitoring Sites

68

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

24K

23,886 total readings

Most Measured

  • Physical
  • Nutrient
  • Organics, Pesticide

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

56.9Kcfs

May 14, 6:45 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

438%

Well above typical

Primary Streamgage

PASCAGOULA RIVER AT GRAHAM FERRY, MS

USGS site
02479310
Drainage area
8,204 sq mi
Long-term mean
13.0K 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 Jackson 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 Jackson County, Mississippi?
Jackson County, Mississippi has a drinking-water quality grade of C with a score of 56.6/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 12 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 Jackson County?
Jackson County has 12 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 Jackson County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 23,886 measurements from 68 monitoring sites in Jackson County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Physical, Nutrient, Organics, Pesticide. 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 Jackson County right now?
Jackson County's primary USGS streamgage on the PASCAGOULA RIVER has a pipeline snapshot of 56,900 cubic feet per second — 438% of the long-term mean of 12,978.15 cfs. This is well above typical — often a signal of recent precipitation or storm runoff. For the latest gauge feed, visit waterdata.usgs.gov.
How does Jackson County water compare to the Mississippi average?
Jackson County's SDWIS water quality score of 56.6/100 is higher than the Mississippi state average of 51.7. The average water quality grade across Mississippi is D, based on data from 82 counties with available SDWIS data.
Is tap water safe to drink in Jackson County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Jackson County has a water quality grade of C (56.6/100). 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 Jackson County have so many water violations?
Jackson County has 12 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 Jackson County rank for water quality in Mississippi?
Jackson County ranks #39 out of 82 counties in Mississippi by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 56.6/100, 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

Marshall County

Mississippi

C

56.8

Water score

Itawamba County

Mississippi

C

57.2

Water score

Lawrence County

Mississippi

C

57.5

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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