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County water report

Iredell County Water Report

Drinking-water compliance, watershed health, monitoring records, and river conditions for Iredell County, North Carolina.

Water grade

B

Water score

64.6

State rank

#28

of 100

Health violations

5

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

Not reported

EPA ATTAINS coverage varies by state

Monitoring sites

10

1,192 recent measurements

Live streamflow

31%

CATAWBA RIVER BL LOOKOUT SHOALS DAM NR SHARON, NC

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Iredell County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

B

Score: 64.6 / 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

31% of mean

CATAWBA RIVER BL LOOKOUT SHOALS DAM NR SHARON, NC

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

10

1,192 recent readings

Source: EPA SDWIS · Safe Drinking Water Information System

Drinking Water Compliance

Compliance grade

B

Based on EPA SDWIS compliance history.

Water score

Higher scores indicate cleaner recent compliance records.

64.6/100

Health violations

5

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

3.7

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding Iredell County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Iredell County earns a B grade for drinking water quality, scoring 64.6 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 2026-01-08T00:00:00.000-05:00) puts CATAWBA RIVER BL LOOKOUT SHOALS DAM at 838.0 cfs — well below its long-term average at 31% 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. Iredell County has moderate coverage with 10 active monitoring sites with 1,192 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 Iredell County

Water Verdict

Iredell County receives a fair water quality assessment with a grade of B and a score of 64.6 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

Iredell County has recorded 5 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 3.7 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is moderate and suggests recurring water quality challenges.

Consumer Guidance

Tap water in Iredell County meets baseline safety standards, though the compliance record shows some violations worth watching. Iredell County's drinking-water compliance score is 64.6 out of 100. The violation rate for Iredell County is 3.7 per 100,000 people served. Running tap water for 30 seconds before drinking can reduce any localized lead exposure from household plumbing. Requesting your utility's most recent Consumer Confidence Report is the fastest way to identify which specific contaminants were flagged. There are 10 active water-quality monitoring sites in Iredell County. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the CATAWBA RIVER BL LOOKOUT SHOALS DAM gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Iredell County has better water quality than the average county in North Carolina. Its water score is 11.6 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 Iredell County's water environment

Official EPA Resources for Iredell County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Iredell County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Iredell County

Consumer Confidence Reports (NC)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in North Carolina

Past 5 years

Water Quality Monitoring

Monitoring Sites

10

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

1.2K

1,192 total readings

Most Measured

  • Physical
  • Nutrient
  • Biological, Counts

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

838cfs

Jan 8, 5:00 AM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

31%

Well below typical

Primary Streamgage

CATAWBA RIVER BL LOOKOUT SHOALS DAM NR SHARON, NC

USGS site
0214244102
Drainage area
1,450 sq mi
Long-term mean
2,677 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 Iredell 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.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the water quality in Iredell County, North Carolina?
Iredell County, North Carolina has a drinking-water quality grade of B with a score of 64.6/100, 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 Iredell County?
Iredell 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 Iredell County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 1,192 measurements from 10 monitoring sites in Iredell County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Physical, Nutrient, Biological, Counts. 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 Iredell County right now?
Iredell County's primary USGS streamgage on the CATAWBA RIVER BL LOOKOUT SHOALS DAM has a pipeline snapshot of 838 cubic feet per second — 31% of the long-term mean of 2,676.67 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 Iredell County water compare to the North Carolina average?
Iredell County's SDWIS water quality score of 64.6/100 is higher than the North Carolina state average of 53.0. The average water quality grade across North Carolina is D, based on data from 100 counties with available SDWIS data.
Is tap water safe to drink in Iredell County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Iredell County has a water quality grade of B (64.6/100). 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 Iredell County have clean drinking water?
Iredell County has 5 health-based drinking water violations according to EPA records. With a water quality score of 64.6/100 and grade B, 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 Iredell County rank for water quality in North Carolina?
Iredell County ranks #28 out of 100 counties in North Carolina by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 64.6/100, 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

Beaufort County

North Carolina

B

64.2

Water score

Wayne County

North Carolina

B

64.2

Water score

Granville County

North Carolina

B

65.0

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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