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County water report

Red Willow County Water Report

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

Water grade

F

Water score

10.5

State rank

#81

of 90

Health violations

27

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

80.0%

5 water bodies assessed

Monitoring sites

3

1,185 recent measurements

Live streamflow

28%

Republican River at McCook, Nebr.

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Red Willow County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

F

Score: 10.5 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

27

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

80% impaired

5 bodies assessed

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

28% of mean

Republican River at McCook, Nebr.

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

3

1,185 recent readings

Source: EPA SDWIS · Safe Drinking Water Information System

Drinking Water Compliance

Compliance grade

F

Based on EPA SDWIS compliance history.

Water score

Higher scores indicate cleaner recent compliance records.

10.5/100

Health violations

27

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

315.9

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding Red Willow County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Red Willow County's water systems carry a failing grade, scoring 10.5 out of 100. Over the past five years, EPA SDWIS records 27 health-based violations — a pattern that public water utilities are required to disclose and correct.

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 — 80.0% — of assessed waterways are impaired (4 of 5 water bodies) across Red Willow 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 2026-05-14T13:30:00.000-05:00) puts Republican River at 30.2 cfs — well below its long-term average at 28% 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. Red Willow County has limited coverage with 3 active monitoring sites with 1,185 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 Red Willow County

Water Verdict

Red Willow County, Nebraska receives a poor water quality assessment with a grade of F and a score of 10.5 out of 100. The water supply has documented quality issues. Residents are strongly encouraged to use filtered or bottled water for drinking and to stay informed about utility improvement plans. Separately, EPA ATTAINS assessments cover 5 water bodies in the county's watershed, with 80.0% 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 27.6% — worth watching in drier seasons.

Violation Context

EPA SDWIS records for Red Willow County, Nebraska show 27 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 315.9 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is high and signals significant water quality management issues. For independent context, 1,185 water-quality monitoring results have been recorded across the county in the EPA Water Quality Portal over the past five years.

Consumer Guidance

Red Willow County has a Grade F compliance record with 27 health-based violations — among the highest levels in the country. Red Willow County's drinking-water compliance score is 10.5 out of 100. Residents are strongly advised to use a certified NSF 58 reverse-osmosis filter or bottled water for all drinking and cooking until violations are corrected. Contacting the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality or Health can expedite utility compliance action. E. coli is the leading impairment cause in Red Willow County's watershed. There are 3 active water-quality monitoring sites in Red Willow County. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the Republican River gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Red Willow County has poorer water quality than the average county in Nebraska. Its water score is 47.6 points lower than the state average, suggesting more challenges with contamination control or infrastructure than 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 Red Willow 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

Source: EPA ATTAINS · Reporting cycle 2022

Official EPA Resources for Red Willow County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Red Willow County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Red Willow County

Consumer Confidence Reports (NE)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in Nebraska

Clean Water Act §303(d)

Watershed Health

Impaired Water Bodies

80.0%

4 of 5 assessed

High concern

Top Impairment Causes

  • 1

    ESCHERICHIA COLI (E. COLI)

  • 2

    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

1.2K

1,185 total readings

Most Measured

  • Physical
  • Nutrient
  • Inorganics, Major, Non-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

30.2cfs

May 14, 6:30 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

28%

Well below typical

Primary Streamgage

Republican River at McCook, Nebr.

USGS site
06837000
Drainage area
12,240 sq mi
Long-term mean
109 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 Red Willow County:F — Failing

High violation count or severe watershed conditions.

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 Red Willow County, Nebraska?
Red Willow County, Nebraska has a drinking-water quality grade of F with a score of 10.5/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 27 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 Red Willow County?
Red Willow County has 27 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 Red Willow County?
EPA ATTAINS assessments under Clean Water Act §303(d) indicate 80.0% of Red Willow County's 5 assessed water bodies are classified as impaired (4 impaired). The top reported causes are 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 Red Willow County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 1,185 measurements from 3 monitoring sites in Red Willow County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Physical, Nutrient, Inorganics, Major, Non-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 Red Willow County right now?
Red Willow County's primary USGS streamgage on the Republican River has a pipeline snapshot of 30.2 cubic feet per second — 28% of the long-term mean of 109.33 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 Red Willow County water compare to the Nebraska average?
Red Willow County's SDWIS water quality score of 10.5/100 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 Red Willow County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Red Willow County has a water quality grade of F (10.5/100). This indicates below-average compliance with significant violations. Residents may want to consider home water filtration or independent testing. 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).
Why does Red Willow County have so many water violations?
Red Willow County has 27 health-based drinking water violations on record from the EPA SDWIS database. A higher violation count can result from aging infrastructure, underfunded water utilities, agricultural runoff contamination, or industrial pollution. Counties with more water systems may also see more violations simply due to scale. Residents concerned about water quality should consider independent water testing and home filtration systems.
How does Red Willow County rank for water quality in Nebraska?
Red Willow County ranks #81 out of 90 counties in Nebraska by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 10.5/100, it falls in the bottom 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

Rock County

Nebraska

F

8.9

Water score

Jefferson County

Nebraska

F

8.6

Water score

Nance County

Nebraska

F

14.1

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.

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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