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County water report

Union County Water Report

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

Water grade

C

Water score

54.1

State rank

#43

of 82

Health violations

3

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

Not reported

EPA ATTAINS coverage varies by state

Monitoring sites

5

1,239 recent measurements

Live streamflow

18%

LITTLE TALLAHATCHIE RIVER AT ETTA, MS

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Union County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

C

Score: 54.1 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

3

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

Not reported

Coverage varies by state

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

18% of mean

LITTLE TALLAHATCHIE RIVER AT ETTA, MS

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

5

1,239 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.

54.1/100

Health violations

3

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

11.1

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding Union County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Union County's drinking water earned a C grade, scoring 54.1 out of 100. Over the past five years, EPA SDWIS records 3 health-based violations — a small cluster that warrants attention.

River & Streamflow Status

USGS NWIS

USGS NWIS gauge data (as of 2026-05-14T14:00:00.000-05:00) puts LITTLE TALLAHATCHIE RIVER at 154.0 cfs — well below its long-term average at 18% of mean — low-flow conditions worth noting for water-dependent ecosystems. 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. Union County has limited coverage with 5 active monitoring sites with 1,239 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 Union County

Water Verdict

Union County receives a below-average water quality assessment with a grade of C and a score of 54.1 out of 100. Residents should review their utility's Consumer Confidence Report and may want to consider additional water filtration for drinking.

Violation Context

Union County has recorded 3 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 11.1 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is high and signals significant water quality management issues.

Consumer Guidance

Tap water in Union County meets baseline standards but the compliance record shows room for improvement, with a Grade C rating. Union County's drinking-water compliance score is 54.1 out of 100. The violation rate for Union County is 11.1 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 5 active water-quality monitoring sites in Union County. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the LITTLE TALLAHATCHIE RIVER gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Union County has water quality close to the average county in Mississippi. Its water score is within 2.4 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 Union County's water environment

Official EPA Resources for Union County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Union County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Union County

Consumer Confidence Reports (MS)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in Mississippi

Past 5 years

Water Quality Monitoring

Monitoring Sites

5

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

1.2K

1,239 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

154cfs

May 14, 7:00 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

18%

Well below typical

Primary Streamgage

LITTLE TALLAHATCHIE RIVER AT ETTA, MS

USGS site
07268000
Drainage area
526 sq mi
Long-term mean
841 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 Union 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 Union County, Mississippi?
Union County, Mississippi has a drinking-water quality grade of C with a score of 54.1/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 3 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 Union County?
Union County has 3 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 Union County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 1,239 measurements from 5 monitoring sites in Union 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 Union County right now?
Union County's primary USGS streamgage on the LITTLE TALLAHATCHIE RIVER has a pipeline snapshot of 154 cubic feet per second — 18% of the long-term mean of 841.24 cfs. This is well below typical — often a signal of drought stress on source water. For the latest gauge feed, visit waterdata.usgs.gov.
How does Union County water compare to the Mississippi average?
Union County's SDWIS water quality score of 54.1/100 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 Union County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Union County has a water quality grade of C (54.1/100). 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 Union County have clean drinking water?
Union County has 3 health-based drinking water violations according to EPA records. With a water quality score of 54.1/100 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 Union County rank for water quality in Mississippi?
Union County ranks #43 out of 82 counties in Mississippi by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 54.1/100, 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

Madison County

Mississippi

C

54.5

Water score

Jefferson County

Mississippi

C

53.6

Water score

Choctaw County

Mississippi

C

55.0

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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