waterbycounty
Federal water data

County water report

Kemper County Water Report

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

Water grade

C

Water score

57.9

State rank

#35

of 82

Health violations

1

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

Not reported

EPA ATTAINS coverage varies by state

Monitoring sites

8

3,553 recent measurements

Live streamflow

1587%

SUCARNOOCHEE RIVER NR PORTERVILLE, MS

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Kemper County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

C

Score: 57.9 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

1

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

Not reported

Coverage varies by state

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

1587% of mean

SUCARNOOCHEE RIVER NR PORTERVILLE, MS

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

8

3,553 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.

57.9/100

Health violations

1

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

8.1

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding Kemper County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Kemper County's drinking water earned a C grade, scoring 57.9 out of 100. Over the past five years, EPA SDWIS records 1 health-based violation — a single incident worth monitoring.

River & Streamflow Status

USGS NWIS

USGS NWIS gauge data (as of 2024-01-25T12:00:00.000-06:00) puts SUCARNOOCHEE RIVER at 2.8k cfs — running significantly above its long-term average at 1587% 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. Kemper County has limited coverage with 8 active monitoring sites with 3,553 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 Kemper County

Water Verdict

Kemper County, Mississippi receives a fair water quality assessment with a grade of C and a score of 57.9 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 135 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 1586.8%.

Violation Context

EPA SDWIS records for Kemper County, Mississippi show 1 health-based violation, meaning a water system experienced at least one exceedance of federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements. At 8.1 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is high and signals significant water quality management issues. For independent context, 3,553 water-quality monitoring results have been recorded across the county in the EPA Water Quality Portal over the past five years.

Consumer Guidance

Tap water in Kemper County meets baseline standards but the compliance record shows room for improvement, with a Grade C rating. Kemper County's drinking-water compliance score is 57.9 out of 100. The violation rate for Kemper County is 8.1 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. There are 8 active water-quality monitoring sites in Kemper County. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the SUCARNOOCHEE RIVER gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Kemper County has better water quality than the average county in Mississippi. Its water score is 6.2 points higher than the state average, indicating stronger water system performance relative to 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 Kemper County's water environment

Official EPA Resources for Kemper County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Kemper County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Kemper County

Consumer Confidence Reports (MS)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in Mississippi

Past 5 years

Water Quality Monitoring

Monitoring Sites

8

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

3.6K

3,553 total readings

Most Measured

  • Physical
  • Nutrient
  • Inorganics, Minor, Metals

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

2,760cfs

Jan 25, 6:00 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

1587%

Well above typical

Primary Streamgage

SUCARNOOCHEE RIVER NR PORTERVILLE, MS

USGS site
02467200
Drainage area
135 sq mi
Long-term mean
174 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 Kemper 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.

Try the full calculator →

Improve your water quality at home

Berkey filters remove 99.9%+ of contaminants from tap water.

Shop Berkey →

Sponsored

Test your tap water

Tap Score provides professional mail-in water testing.

Get Tested →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the water quality in Kemper County, Mississippi?
Kemper County, Mississippi has a drinking-water quality grade of C with a score of 57.9/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 1 health-based drinking water violation over the past 5 years. Watershed health, monitoring records, and streamflow snapshots are reported separately on this page.
Are there any water violations in Kemper County?
Kemper County has 1 health-based drinking water violation 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 Kemper County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 3,553 measurements from 8 monitoring sites in Kemper County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Physical, Nutrient, Inorganics, Minor, Metals. 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 Kemper County right now?
Kemper County's primary USGS streamgage on the SUCARNOOCHEE RIVER has a pipeline snapshot of 2,760 cubic feet per second — 1587% of the long-term mean of 173.93 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 Kemper County water compare to the Mississippi average?
Kemper County's SDWIS water quality score of 57.9/100 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 Kemper County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Kemper County has a water quality grade of C (57.9/100). 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 Kemper County have clean drinking water?
Kemper County has 1 health-based drinking water violation according to EPA records. With a water quality score of 57.9/100 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 Kemper County rank for water quality in Mississippi?
Kemper County ranks #35 out of 82 counties in Mississippi by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 57.9/100, 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

Harrison County

Mississippi

C

57.9

Water score

DeSoto County

Mississippi

C

58.1

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

Explore more data for Kemper County

Property TaxCost of LivingCrime RateIncomeHealthSchoolsDisaster RiskWeatherCounty Score