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County water report

Pulaski County Water Report

Drinking-water compliance, watershed health, monitoring records, and river conditions for Pulaski County, Missouri.

Water grade

C

Water score

58.3

State rank

#41

of 115

Health violations

5

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

Not reported

EPA ATTAINS coverage varies by state

Monitoring sites

3

2,419 recent measurements

Live streamflow

52%

Big Piney below Fort Leonard Wood, MO

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Pulaski County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

C

Score: 58.3 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

5

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

Not reported

Coverage varies by state

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

52% of mean

Big Piney below Fort Leonard Wood, MO

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

3

2,419 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.

58.3/100

Health violations

5

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

7.8

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding Pulaski County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Pulaski County's drinking water earned a C grade, scoring 58.3 out of 100. Over the past five years, EPA SDWIS records 5 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 2026-05-14T14:00:00.000-05:00) puts Big Piney below Fort Leonard Wood, MO at 370.0 cfs — well below its long-term average at 52% 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. Pulaski County has limited coverage with 3 active monitoring sites with 2,419 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 Pulaski County

Water Verdict

Pulaski County receives a fair water quality assessment with a grade of C and a score of 58.3 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

Pulaski County has recorded 5 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 7.8 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is moderate and suggests recurring water quality challenges.

Consumer Guidance

Tap water in Pulaski County meets baseline standards but the compliance record shows room for improvement, with a Grade C rating. Pulaski County's drinking-water compliance score is 58.3 out of 100. The violation rate for Pulaski County is 7.8 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 3 active water-quality monitoring sites in Pulaski County. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the Big Piney below Fort Leonard Wood, MO gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Pulaski County has better water quality than the average county in Missouri. Its water score is 9.5 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 Pulaski County's water environment

Official EPA Resources for Pulaski County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Pulaski County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Pulaski County

Consumer Confidence Reports (MO)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in Missouri

Past 5 years

Water Quality Monitoring

Monitoring Sites

3

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

2.4K

2,419 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

370cfs

May 14, 7:00 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

52%

Well below typical

Primary Streamgage

Big Piney below Fort Leonard Wood, MO

USGS site
06930060
Drainage area
593 sq mi
Long-term mean
710 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 Pulaski 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 Pulaski County, Missouri?
Pulaski County, Missouri has a drinking-water quality grade of C with a score of 58.3/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 5 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 Pulaski County?
Pulaski County has 5 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 Pulaski County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 2,419 measurements from 3 monitoring sites in Pulaski 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 Pulaski County right now?
Pulaski County's primary USGS streamgage on the Big Piney below Fort Leonard Wood, MO has a pipeline snapshot of 370 cubic feet per second — 52% of the long-term mean of 709.73 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 Pulaski County water compare to the Missouri average?
Pulaski County's SDWIS water quality score of 58.3/100 is higher than the Missouri state average of 48.8. The average water quality grade across Missouri is D, based on data from 115 counties with available SDWIS data.
Is tap water safe to drink in Pulaski County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Pulaski County has a water quality grade of C (58.3/100). 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 Pulaski County have clean drinking water?
Pulaski County has 5 health-based drinking water violations according to EPA records. With a water quality score of 58.3/100 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 Pulaski County rank for water quality in Missouri?
Pulaski County ranks #41 out of 115 counties in Missouri by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 58.3/100, 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

Marion County

Missouri

C

58.3

Water score

Polk County

Missouri

C

59.6

Water score

Ray County

Missouri

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.

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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