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County water report

Johnston County Water Report

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

Water grade

F

Water score

38.2

State rank

#79

of 100

Health violations

75

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

0.0%

2 water bodies assessed

Monitoring sites

9

4,417 recent measurements

Live streamflow

23%

NEUSE RIVER AT SMITHFIELD, NC

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Johnston County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

F

Score: 38.2 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

75

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

0% impaired

2 bodies assessed

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

23% of mean

NEUSE RIVER AT SMITHFIELD, NC

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

9

4,417 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.

38.2/100

Health violations

75

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

36.8

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding Johnston County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Johnston County's water systems carry a failing grade, scoring 38.2 out of 100. Over the past five years, EPA SDWIS records 75 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). None of the assessed waterways are listed as impaired (0 of 2 water bodies) across Johnston County's watersheds. 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 1991-09-30T23:30:00.000-04:00) puts NEUSE RIVER at 298.0 cfs — well below its long-term average at 23% 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. Johnston County has limited coverage with 9 active monitoring sites with 4,417 recent measurements on record. Predominant monitoring categories include organics, other and physical. 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 Johnston County

Water Verdict

Johnston County, North Carolina receives a poor water quality assessment with a grade of F and a score of 38.2 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 track 2 water bodies in the county's watershed, none of which are currently listed as impaired under the Clean Water Act. At the most recent USGS reading, local streamflow was below its historical mean at 22.5% — worth watching in drier seasons.

Violation Context

EPA SDWIS records for Johnston County, North Carolina show 75 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 36.8 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is high and signals significant water quality management issues. For independent context, 4,417 water-quality monitoring results have been recorded across the county in the EPA Water Quality Portal over the past five years.

Consumer Guidance

Johnston County has a Grade F compliance record with 75 health-based violations — among the highest levels in the country. Johnston County's drinking-water compliance score is 38.2 out of 100. The violation rate for Johnston County is 36.8 per 100,000 people served. 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 North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality or Health can expedite utility compliance action. There are 9 active water-quality monitoring sites in Johnston County. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the NEUSE RIVER gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Johnston County has poorer water quality than the average county in North Carolina. Its water score is 14.8 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 Johnston County's water environment

Official EPA Resources for Johnston County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Johnston County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Johnston County

Consumer Confidence Reports (NC)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in North Carolina

Clean Water Act §303(d)

Watershed Health

Impaired Water Bodies

0.0%

0 of 2 assessed

Mostly healthy

Top Impairment Causes

No specific impairment causes reported for the assessed water bodies in this county.

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

9

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

4.4K

4,417 total readings

Most Measured

  • Organics, Other
  • Physical
  • Organics, Pesticide

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

298cfs

Oct 1, 3:30 AM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

23%

Well below typical

Primary Streamgage

NEUSE RIVER AT SMITHFIELD, NC

USGS site
02087570
Drainage area
1,206 sq mi
Long-term mean
1,324 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

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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 Johnston 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 Johnston County, North Carolina?
Johnston County, North Carolina has a drinking-water quality grade of F with a score of 38.2/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 75 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 Johnston County?
Johnston County has 75 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 Johnston County?
EPA ATTAINS assessments under Clean Water Act §303(d) indicate 0.0% of Johnston County's 2 assessed water bodies are classified as impaired (0 impaired). 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 Johnston County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 4,417 measurements from 9 monitoring sites in Johnston County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Organics, Other, Physical, Organics, Pesticide. 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 Johnston County right now?
Johnston County's primary USGS streamgage on the NEUSE RIVER has a pipeline snapshot of 298 cubic feet per second — 23% of the long-term mean of 1,324.08 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 Johnston County water compare to the North Carolina average?
Johnston County's SDWIS water quality score of 38.2/100 is lower 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 Johnston County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Johnston County has a water quality grade of F (38.2/100). 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 Johnston County have so many water violations?
Johnston County has 75 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 Johnston County rank for water quality in North Carolina?
Johnston County ranks #79 out of 100 counties in North Carolina by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 38.2/100, 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

Randolph County

North Carolina

F

38.0

Water score

Wilson County

North Carolina

F

38.9

Water score

Clay County

North Carolina

F

37.4

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 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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