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County water report

Madison County Water Report

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

Water grade

C

Water score

52.0

State rank

#50

of 100

Health violations

1

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

Not reported

EPA ATTAINS coverage varies by state

Monitoring sites

17

9,244 recent measurements

Live streamflow

26%

FRENCH BROAD RIVER AT HOT SPRINGS, NC

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Madison County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

C

Score: 52.0 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

1

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

Not reported

Coverage varies by state

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

26% of mean

FRENCH BROAD RIVER AT HOT SPRINGS, NC

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

17

9,244 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.

52.0/100

Health violations

1

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

13.9

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding Madison County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Madison County's drinking water earned a C grade, scoring 52.0 out of 100. Over the past five years, EPA SDWIS records 1 health-based violation — a single incident worth monitoring.

River & Streamflow Status

USGS NWIS

USGS NWIS gauge data (as of 2026-05-14T14:15:00.000-04:00) puts FRENCH BROAD RIVER at 736.0 cfs — well below its long-term average at 26% 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. Madison County has moderate coverage with 17 active monitoring sites with 9,244 recent measurements on record. Predominant monitoring categories include organics, other and organics, pesticide. 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 Madison County

Water Verdict

Madison County, North Carolina receives a below-average water quality assessment with a grade of C and a score of 52.0 out of 100. Residents should review their utility's Consumer Confidence Report and may want to consider additional water filtration for drinking. The county's primary USGS gauge drains roughly 1,567 square miles of upstream watershed, giving local source waters a regional footprint. At the most recent USGS reading, local streamflow was below its historical mean at 25.6% — worth watching in drier seasons.

Violation Context

EPA SDWIS records for Madison County, North Carolina show 1 health-based violation, meaning a water system experienced at least one exceedance of federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements. At 13.9 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is high and signals significant water quality management issues. For independent context, 9,244 water-quality monitoring results have been recorded across the county in the EPA Water Quality Portal over the past five years.

Consumer Guidance

Tap water in Madison County meets baseline standards but the compliance record shows room for improvement, with a Grade C rating. Madison County's drinking-water compliance score is 52.0 out of 100. The violation rate for Madison County is 13.9 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 17 active water-quality monitoring sites in Madison County, data coverage is strong. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the FRENCH BROAD RIVER gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Madison County has water quality close to the average county in North Carolina. Its water score is within 1 points of the state average, meaning its overall water system performance is broadly representative of North Carolina as a whole.

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 Madison County's water environment

Official EPA Resources for Madison County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Madison County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Madison County

Consumer Confidence Reports (NC)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in North Carolina

Past 5 years

Water Quality Monitoring

Monitoring Sites

17

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

9.2K

9,244 total readings

Most Measured

  • Organics, Other
  • Organics, Pesticide
  • 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

736cfs

May 14, 6:15 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

26%

Well below typical

Primary Streamgage

FRENCH BROAD RIVER AT HOT SPRINGS, NC

USGS site
03454500
Drainage area
1,567 sq mi
Long-term mean
2,877 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 Madison 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 Madison County, North Carolina?
Madison County, North Carolina has a drinking-water quality grade of C with a score of 52.0/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 1 health-based drinking water violation over the past 5 years. Watershed health, monitoring records, and streamflow snapshots are reported separately on this page.
Are there any water violations in Madison County?
Madison County has 1 health-based drinking water violation 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 Madison County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 9,244 measurements from 17 monitoring sites in Madison County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Organics, Other, Organics, Pesticide, 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 Madison County right now?
Madison County's primary USGS streamgage on the FRENCH BROAD RIVER has a pipeline snapshot of 736 cubic feet per second — 26% of the long-term mean of 2,877.41 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 Madison County water compare to the North Carolina average?
Madison County's SDWIS water quality score of 52.0/100 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 Madison County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Madison County has a water quality grade of C (52.0/100). 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).
Does Madison County have clean drinking water?
Madison County has 1 health-based drinking water violation according to EPA records. With a water quality score of 52.0/100 and grade C, 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 Madison County rank for water quality in North Carolina?
Madison County ranks #50 out of 100 counties in North Carolina by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 52.0/100, 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

Rutherford County

North Carolina

C

51.8

Water score

Henderson County

North Carolina

C

51.5

Water score

Duplin County

North Carolina

C

51.2

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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