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County water report

Polk County Water Report

Drinking-water compliance, watershed health, monitoring records, and river conditions for Polk County, Nebraska.

Water grade

A

Water score

86.0

State rank

#35

of 90

Health violations

0

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

60.0%

10 water bodies assessed

Monitoring sites

N/A

EPA Water Quality Portal

Live streamflow

68%

Clear Creek 1.75 mile W of Polk County line, Nebr.

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Polk County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

A

Score: 86.0 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

0

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

60% impaired

10 bodies assessed

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

68% of mean

Clear Creek 1.75 mile W of Polk County line, Nebr.

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

N/A

Rolling 5-year window

Source: EPA SDWIS · Safe Drinking Water Information System

Drinking Water Compliance

Compliance grade

A

Based on EPA SDWIS compliance history.

Water score

Higher scores indicate cleaner recent compliance records.

86.0/100

Health violations

0

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

0.0

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding Polk County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Polk County earns an A grade for drinking water quality, scoring 86.0 out of 100. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) records zero health-based violations over the past five years — a strong compliance signal for a small county.

Watershed Conditions

EPA ATTAINS

Under the Clean Water Act §303(d), EPA ATTAINS tracks whether waterways meet quality standards for drinking, recreation, and aquatic life (reporting cycle: 2022). A large majority — 60.0% — of assessed waterways are impaired (6 of 10 water bodies) across Polk County's watersheds. The leading impairment causes are escherichia coli (e. coli) and cause unknown. Impairment does not mean tap water is unsafe — it measures ambient waterway conditions upstream of treatment, not finished drinking water.

River & Streamflow Status

USGS NWIS

USGS NWIS gauge data (as of 2026-05-14T13:45:00.000-05:00) puts Clear Creek 1.75 mile W of Polk County line, Nebr. at 17.2 cfs — running somewhat below its historical average at 68% of mean. 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.

Editorial advisory

What the data suggests for Polk County

Water Verdict

Polk County, Nebraska receives an excellent water quality assessment with a grade of A and a score of 86.0 out of 100. The water supply meets or exceeds federal safety standards, and residents can generally drink tap water with confidence. Separately, EPA ATTAINS assessments cover 10 water bodies in the county's watershed, with 60.0% listed as impaired under the Clean Water Act — a source-water measure that is tracked independently of tap-water compliance. At the most recent USGS reading, local streamflow was below its historical mean at 68.1% — worth watching in drier seasons.

Violation Context

EPA SDWIS records for Polk County, Nebraska show zero health-based violations, indicating that the county's water systems met all federal safety standards during the reporting period. The violation rate is zero per 100,000 people served, which is the best possible outcome. The most recent Clean Water Act assessment cycle on file for the county's watershed is 2022.

Consumer Guidance

The EPA compliance record for Polk County shows no recent health-based violations. Polk County's drinking-water compliance score is 86.0 out of 100. Watershed monitoring does show E. coli in local surface water — a reminder that treated drinking water and source-water quality are measured separately. Reviewing your utility's annual Consumer Confidence Report each July confirms that treatment is keeping pace with any upstream pressures. Live streamflow monitoring from the Clear Creek 1.75 mile W of Polk County line, Nebr. gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Polk County has better water quality than the average county in Nebraska. Its water score is 27.9 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 Polk County's water environment

Watershed Impairment Causes (EPA ATTAINS)

  • 1

    E. coli (bacteria)

    Impairment cause per EPA Clean Water Act §303(d) assessment

  • 2

    Cause Unknown

    Impairment cause per EPA Clean Water Act §303(d) assessment

  • 3

    Atrazine

    Impairment cause per EPA Clean Water Act §303(d) assessment

Source: EPA ATTAINS · Reporting cycle 2022

Official EPA Resources for Polk County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Polk County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Polk County

Consumer Confidence Reports (NE)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in Nebraska

Clean Water Act §303(d)

Watershed Health

Impaired Water Bodies

60.0%

6 of 10 assessed

High concern

Top Impairment Causes

  • 1

    ESCHERICHIA COLI (E. COLI)

  • 2

    CAUSE UNKNOWN

  • 3

    ATRAZINE

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.

Live USGS Streamgage

River & Stream Conditions

Current Discharge

17.2cfs

May 14, 6:45 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

68%

Below typical

Primary Streamgage

Clear Creek 1.75 mile W of Polk County line, Nebr.

USGS site
06794650
Long-term mean
25.3 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.

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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 Polk County:C — Moderate

Some violations or watershed impairment detected.

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 →

Polk County has good water quality

Learn about water restrictions and conservation in your area.

Water Restrictions →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the water quality in Polk County, Nebraska?
Polk County, Nebraska has a drinking-water quality grade of A with a score of 86.0/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 0 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 Polk County?
Polk County has 0 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). Zero violations is an excellent record indicating consistent compliance with federal drinking water standards.
How healthy are the watersheds in Polk County?
EPA ATTAINS assessments under Clean Water Act §303(d) indicate 60.0% of Polk County's 10 assessed water bodies are classified as impaired (6 impaired). The top reported causes are ESCHERICHIA COLI (E. COLI), CAUSE UNKNOWN, ATRAZINE. 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.
What's happening with rivers in Polk County right now?
Polk County's primary USGS streamgage on the Clear Creek 1.75 mile W of Polk County line, Nebr. has a pipeline snapshot of 17.2 cubic feet per second — 68% of the long-term mean of 25.27 cfs. Flow is within typical range for this gauge. For the latest gauge feed, visit waterdata.usgs.gov.
How does Polk County water compare to the Nebraska average?
Polk County's SDWIS water quality score of 86.0/100 is higher 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 Polk County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Polk County has a water quality grade of A (86.0/100). This indicates good to excellent water quality with strong SDWIS compliance. 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 Polk County have clean drinking water?
Polk County has 0 health-based drinking water violations according to EPA records. With a water quality score of 86.0/100 and grade A, the county's drinking water meets EPA standards with no recorded health violations. 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 Polk County rank for water quality in Nebraska?
Polk County ranks #35 out of 90 counties in Nebraska by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 86.0/100, 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

Banner County

Nebraska

A

86.0

Water score

Blaine County

Nebraska

A

86.0

Water score

Boone County

Nebraska

A

86.0

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.

Watershed health and impaired-waterway data from the EPA ATTAINS Clean Water Act §303(d) assessments, state-reported and EPA-finalized.

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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