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EPA SDWIS

Dawson County Water Quality

Dawson County, Nebraska

Water Grade

C

Water Score

55.0

Violations

2

State Rank

#52

of 90 (1 = best)

EPA SDWIS Compliance

Drinking Water Quality

Water Quality Grade

C

Based on EPA compliance history and violation data

Water Score

55/100

Higher = better quality

Health Violations

2

Health-based violations

Violation Rate

10.5%

Systems with violations

Water Advisory: Dawson County

Water Verdict

Dawson County receives a fair water quality assessment with a grade of C and a score of 55.0 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

Dawson County has recorded 2 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 10.5 violations per 1,000 residents, this rate is high and signals significant water quality management issues.

Consumer Guidance

Tap water in Dawson 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 2 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

Dawson County has water quality close to the average county in Nebraska. Its water score is within 3.1 points of the state average, meaning its overall water system performance is broadly representative of Nebraska as a whole.

Clean Water Act §303(d)

Watershed Health

Impaired Water Bodies

72.7%

8 of 11 assessed

High concern

Top Impairment Causes

  • 1

    MERCURY IN FISH TISSUE

  • 2

    ESCHERICHIA COLI (E. COLI)

  • 3

    CAUSE UNKNOWN

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

3

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

1.6K

1,650 total readings

Most Measured

  • Physical
  • Nutrient
  • Habitat

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

89.6cfs

May 14, 6:00 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

6%

Well below typical

Primary Streamgage

Platte River near Overton, Nebr.

USGS site
06768000
Drainage area
56,300 sq mi
Long-term mean
1,570 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 Dawson County, Nebraska?
Dawson County, Nebraska has a drinking-water quality grade of C with a score of 55.0/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 2 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 Dawson County?
Dawson County has 2 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 Dawson County?
EPA ATTAINS assessments under Clean Water Act §303(d) indicate 72.7% of Dawson County's 11 assessed water bodies are classified as impaired (8 impaired). The top reported causes are MERCURY IN FISH TISSUE, ESCHERICHIA COLI (E. COLI), CAUSE UNKNOWN. 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 Dawson County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 1,650 measurements from 3 monitoring sites in Dawson County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Physical, Nutrient, Habitat. 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 Dawson County right now?
Dawson County's primary USGS streamgage on the Platte River is currently reading 89.6 cubic feet per second — 6% of the long-term mean of 1,570.02 cfs. This is well below typical — often a signal of drought stress on source water. For genuine real-time data, visit waterdata.usgs.gov.
How does Dawson County water compare to the Nebraska average?
Dawson County's SDWIS water quality score of 55.0/100 is lower than the Nebraska state average of 58.1. The average water quality grade across Nebraska is D, based on data from 90 counties with available SDWIS data.
Is tap water safe to drink in Dawson County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Dawson County has a water quality grade of C (55.0/100). 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 Dawson County have clean drinking water?
Dawson County has 2 health-based drinking water violations according to EPA records. With a water quality score of 55.0/100 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 Dawson County rank for water quality in Nebraska?
Dawson County ranks #52 out of 90 counties in Nebraska by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 55.0/100, 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

Dodge County

Nebraska

C

56.3

Water score

Sarpy County

Nebraska

C

58.0

Water score

Hall County

Nebraska

C

61.4

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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