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Federal water data

County water report

Oneida County Water Report

Drinking-water compliance, watershed health, monitoring records, and river conditions for Oneida County, New York.

Water grade

C

Water score

51.0

State rank

#16

of 57

Health violations

29

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

Not reported

EPA ATTAINS coverage varies by state

Monitoring sites

13

2,446 recent measurements

Live streamflow

134%

FISH CREEK AT BECKS GROVE NY

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Oneida County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

C

Score: 51.0 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

29

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

Not reported

Coverage varies by state

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

134% of mean

FISH CREEK AT BECKS GROVE NY

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

13

2,446 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.

51.0/100

Health violations

29

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

14.8

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding Oneida County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Oneida County's drinking water earned a C grade, scoring 51.0 out of 100. Over the past five years, EPA SDWIS records 29 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 2026-05-14T13:15:00.000-05:00) puts FISH CREEK at 1.6k cfs — flowing above its historical average at 134% 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.

Monitoring Network

EPA WQP

EPA's Water Quality Portal (WQP) aggregates monitoring data from federal, state, and tribal agencies. Oneida County has moderate coverage with 13 active monitoring sites with 2,446 recent measurements on record. Predominant monitoring categories include organics, pesticide and organics, other. 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 Oneida County

Water Verdict

Oneida County receives a below-average water quality assessment with a grade of C and a score of 51.0 out of 100. Residents should review their utility's Consumer Confidence Report and may want to consider additional water filtration for drinking.

Violation Context

Oneida County has recorded 29 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 14.8 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is high and signals significant water quality management issues.

Consumer Guidance

Tap water in Oneida County meets baseline standards but the compliance record shows room for improvement, with a Grade C rating. Oneida County's drinking-water compliance score is 51.0 out of 100. The violation rate for Oneida County is 14.8 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. With 13 active water-quality monitoring sites in Oneida County, data coverage is strong. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the FISH CREEK gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Oneida County has better water quality than the average county in New York. Its water score is 10.9 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 Oneida County's water environment

Official EPA Resources for Oneida County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Oneida County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Oneida County

Consumer Confidence Reports (NY)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in New York

Past 5 years

Water Quality Monitoring

Monitoring Sites

13

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

2.4K

2,446 total readings

Most Measured

  • Organics, Pesticide
  • Organics, Other
  • 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

1,570cfs

May 14, 6:15 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

134%

Well above typical

Primary Streamgage

FISH CREEK AT BECKS GROVE NY

USGS site
04242640
Drainage area
403 sq mi
Long-term mean
1,175 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 Oneida 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 Oneida County, New York?
Oneida County, New York has a drinking-water quality grade of C with a score of 51.0/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 29 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 Oneida County?
Oneida County has 29 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 Oneida County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 2,446 measurements from 13 monitoring sites in Oneida County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Organics, Pesticide, Organics, Other, 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 Oneida County right now?
Oneida County's primary USGS streamgage on the FISH CREEK has a pipeline snapshot of 1,570 cubic feet per second — 134% of the long-term mean of 1,174.97 cfs. This is well above typical — often a signal of recent precipitation or storm runoff. For the latest gauge feed, visit waterdata.usgs.gov.
How does Oneida County water compare to the New York average?
Oneida County's SDWIS water quality score of 51.0/100 is higher than the New York state average of 40.1. The average water quality grade across New York is D, based on data from 57 counties with available SDWIS data.
Is tap water safe to drink in Oneida County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Oneida County has a water quality grade of C (51.0/100). 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).
Why does Oneida County have so many water violations?
Oneida County has 29 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 Oneida County rank for water quality in New York?
Oneida County ranks #16 out of 57 counties in New York by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 51.0/100, it falls in the top 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

Cortland County

New York

C

51.4

Water score

Tioga County

New York

D

50.3

Water score

Warren County

New York

C

52.0

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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