County water report

Dickey County Water Report

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

Water grade

Water score

26.3

State rank

#46

of 52

Health violations

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

28.9%

38 water bodies assessed

Monitoring sites

1,998 recent measurements

Live streamflow

56%

JAMES RIVER AT ND-SD STATE LINE

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Dickey County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

Score: 26.3 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

29% impaired

38 bodies assessed

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

56% of mean

JAMES RIVER AT ND-SD STATE LINE

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

1,998 recent readings

Source: EPA SDWIS · Safe Drinking Water Information System

Drinking Water Compliance

Compliance grade

Based on EPA SDWIS compliance history.

Water score

Higher scores indicate cleaner recent compliance records.

26.3/100

Health violations

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

83.2

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Data center water stress

Dickey County has 1 facility in the DCWSI dataset.

ByCounty's DCWSI ranks this county #2263 nationally by combining its water score with mapped data center density.

DCWSI

15.8

0-100 index

Facility count

0.0 density percentile

Discharge estimate

Not reported

EPA CWA fields where available

Water vs median

-23.7

Compared with US county median

Named operators

Applied Digital

Mapped facilities

Applied Digital / Ellendale Data Center
Applied Digital
OSM

See the Dickey County data-center report Review methodology

Data Center Water Budget Calculator

Estimate daily water use for a hypothetical facility in Dickey County.

Facility size: 100 MW

1 MW1,000 MW

Cooling type

Utilization: 70%

40%100%

799K gallons/dayHigh Impact

Your facility would use 2827.1% of this county's industrial water baseline. Verify water rights and long-term drought projections before committing.

2827.1% of county industrial baseline

Based on USGS 2020 water-use data and EPA-standard cooling intensity constants. Not a substitute for site-specific water rights analysis.

Editorial analysis

Understanding Dickey County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Dickey County's water systems carry a failing grade, scoring 26.3 out of 100. Over the past five years, EPA SDWIS records 4 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 notable 28.9% of assessed waterways carry an impairment designation (11 of 38 water bodies) across Dickey County's watersheds. The leading impairment causes are sedimentation/siltation and physical substrate habitat alterations. 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 2026-05-14T13:45:00.000-05:00) puts JAMES RIVER at 236.0 cfs — well below its long-term average at 56% 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. Dickey County has limited coverage with 7 active monitoring sites with 1,998 recent measurements on record. Predominant monitoring categories include physical and inorganics, minor, metals. 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 Dickey County

Water Verdict

Dickey County, North Dakota receives a poor water quality assessment with a grade of F and a score of 26.3 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 38 water bodies in the county's watershed, with 28.9% 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 56.1% — worth watching in drier seasons.

Violation Context

EPA SDWIS records for Dickey County, North Dakota show 4 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 83.2 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is high and signals significant water quality management issues. For independent context, 1,998 water-quality monitoring results have been recorded across the county in the EPA Water Quality Portal over the past five years.

Consumer Guidance

Drinking-water compliance in Dickey County is rated Grade F, reflecting significant health-based violations in the recent reporting period. Dickey County's drinking-water compliance score is 26.3 out of 100. The violation rate for Dickey County is 83.2 per 100,000 people served. An NSF 53 or NSF 58-certified filter is recommended for drinking and cooking water. Check the Consumer Confidence Report from your utility to identify the specific contaminants and required corrective actions — utilities are legally required to notify customers of violations. Sedimentation/Siltation is the leading impairment cause in Dickey County's watershed. There are 7 active water-quality monitoring sites in Dickey County. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the JAMES RIVER gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Dickey County has poorer water quality than the average county in North Dakota. Its water score is 45.3 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 Dickey County's water environment

Watershed Impairment Causes (EPA ATTAINS)

1
Sedimentation and siltation
Impairment cause per EPA Clean Water Act §303(d) assessment
2
Physical Substrate Habitat Alterations
Impairment cause per EPA Clean Water Act §303(d) assessment
3
Fecal coliform bacteria
Impairment cause per EPA Clean Water Act §303(d) assessment

Source: EPA ATTAINS · Reporting cycle 2022

Official EPA Resources for Dickey County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Dickey County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Dickey County

Consumer Confidence Reports (ND)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in North Dakota

Clean Water Act §303(d)

Watershed Health

Impaired Water Bodies

28.9%

11 of 38 assessed

Some impairment

Top Impairment Causes

1
SEDIMENTATION/SILTATION
2
PHYSICAL SUBSTRATE HABITAT ALTERATIONS
3
FECAL COLIFORM

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

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

2.0K

1,998 total readings

Most Measured

Physical
Inorganics, Minor, Metals
Nutrient

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

236cfs

May 14, 6:45 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

56%

Well below typical

Primary Streamgage

JAMES RIVER AT ND-SD STATE LINE

USGS site: 06470878
Drainage area: 5,480 sq mi
Long-term mean: 421 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

Household size

3 people · ~225 gal/day

Filter type

Annual Total

$558

Monthly

$47

Water Bill

$558/yr

Filter Cost

$0/yr

Safety Grade for Dickey 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.

Try the full calculator →

Improve your water quality at home

Berkey filters remove 99.9%+ of contaminants from tap water.

Shop Berkey →

Test your tap water

Tap Score provides professional mail-in water testing.

Get Tested →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the water quality in Dickey County, North Dakota?

Dickey County, North Dakota has a drinking-water quality grade of F with a score of 26.3/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 4 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 Dickey County?

Dickey County has 4 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 Dickey County?

EPA ATTAINS assessments under Clean Water Act §303(d) indicate 28.9% of Dickey County's 38 assessed water bodies are classified as impaired (11 impaired). The top reported causes are SEDIMENTATION/SILTATION, PHYSICAL SUBSTRATE HABITAT ALTERATIONS, FECAL COLIFORM. 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 Dickey County?

EPA's Water Quality Portal records 1,998 measurements from 7 monitoring sites in Dickey County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Physical, Inorganics, Minor, Metals, Nutrient. 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 Dickey County right now?

Dickey County's primary USGS streamgage on the JAMES RIVER has a pipeline snapshot of 236 cubic feet per second — 56% of the long-term mean of 420.65 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 Dickey County water compare to the North Dakota average?

Dickey County's SDWIS water quality score of 26.3/100 is lower than the North Dakota state average of 71.6. The average water quality grade across North Dakota is C, based on data from 52 counties with available SDWIS data.

Is tap water safe to drink in Dickey County?

Based on EPA SDWIS data, Dickey County has a water quality grade of F (26.3/100). 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).

Does Dickey County have clean drinking water?

Dickey County has 4 health-based drinking water violations according to EPA records. With a water quality score of 26.3/100 and grade F, 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 Dickey County rank for water quality in North Dakota?

Dickey County ranks #46 out of 52 counties in North Dakota by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 26.3/100, 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

McHenry County

North Dakota

25.6

Water score

Divide County

North Dakota

30.6

Water score

Sargent County

North Dakota

13.2

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.

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 May 14, 2026Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor

Explore more data for Dickey County

Property Tax Cost of Living Crime Rate Income Health Schools Disaster Risk Weather County Score