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County water report

Walsh County Water Report

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

Water grade

A

Water score

86.0

State rank

#37

of 52

Health violations

0

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

26.5%

83 water bodies assessed

Monitoring sites

22

9,761 recent measurements

Live streamflow

160%

FOREST RIVER AT MINTO, ND

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Walsh County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

A

Score: 86.0 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

0

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

27% impaired

83 bodies assessed

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

160% of mean

FOREST RIVER AT MINTO, ND

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

22

9,761 recent readings

Source: EPA SDWIS · Safe Drinking Water Information System

Drinking Water Compliance

Compliance grade

A

Based on EPA SDWIS compliance history.

Water score

Higher scores indicate cleaner recent compliance records.

86.0/100

Health violations

0

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

0.0

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding Walsh County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Walsh County earns an A grade for drinking water quality, scoring 86.0 out of 100. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) records zero health-based violations over the past five years — a strong compliance signal for a mid-sized county.

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 26.5% of assessed waterways carry an impairment designation (22 of 83 water bodies) across Walsh County's watersheds. The leading impairment causes are combined biota/habitat bioassessments and benthic macroinvertebrates bioassessments. 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 2026-05-14T13:15:00.000-05:00) puts FOREST RIVER at 107.0 cfs — running significantly above its long-term average at 160% of mean flow. 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. Walsh County has moderate coverage with 22 active monitoring sites with 9,761 recent measurements on record. Predominant monitoring categories include nutrient 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 Walsh County

Water Verdict

Walsh County receives an excellent water quality assessment with a grade of A and a score of 86.0 out of 100. The water supply meets or exceeds federal safety standards, and residents can generally drink tap water with confidence.

Violation Context

Walsh County has recorded zero health-based violations, indicating no recent health-based violations in the reporting period. The violation rate is zero per 100,000 people served, which is the best possible outcome.

Consumer Guidance

The EPA compliance record for Walsh County shows no recent health-based violations. No health-based violations have been recorded, placing Walsh County in the top tier for drinking-water safety. Walsh County's drinking-water compliance score is 86.0 out of 100. As a routine precaution, requesting your utility's annual Consumer Confidence Report each July gives you a full list of detected contaminants and their treatment levels. With 22 active water-quality monitoring sites in Walsh County, data coverage is strong. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the FOREST RIVER gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Walsh County has better water quality than the average county in North Dakota. Its water score is 14.4 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 Walsh County's water environment

Watershed Impairment Causes (EPA ATTAINS)

  • 1

    Combined Biota/Habitat Bioassessments

    Impairment cause per EPA Clean Water Act §303(d) assessment

  • 2

    Benthic Macroinvertebrates Bioassessments

    Impairment cause per EPA Clean Water Act §303(d) assessment

  • 3

    Selenium

    Impairment cause per EPA Clean Water Act §303(d) assessment

Source: EPA ATTAINS · Reporting cycle 2022

Official EPA Resources for Walsh County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Walsh County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Walsh County

Consumer Confidence Reports (ND)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in North Dakota

Clean Water Act §303(d)

Watershed Health

Impaired Water Bodies

26.5%

22 of 83 assessed

Some impairment

Top Impairment Causes

  • 1

    COMBINED BIOTA/HABITAT BIOASSESSMENTS

  • 2

    BENTHIC MACROINVERTEBRATES BIOASSESSMENTS

  • 3

    SELENIUM

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

22

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

9.8K

9,761 total readings

Most Measured

  • Nutrient
  • Physical
  • 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

107cfs

May 14, 6:15 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

160%

Well above typical

Primary Streamgage

FOREST RIVER AT MINTO, ND

USGS site
05085000
Drainage area
740 sq mi
Long-term mean
67.0 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 Walsh County:B — Good

Minor violations; waterways mostly healthy.

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 →

Walsh County has good water quality

Learn about water restrictions and conservation in your area.

Water Restrictions →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the water quality in Walsh County, North Dakota?
Walsh County, North Dakota has a drinking-water quality grade of A with a score of 86.0/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 0 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 Walsh County?
Walsh County has 0 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). Zero violations is an excellent record indicating consistent compliance with federal drinking water standards.
How healthy are the watersheds in Walsh County?
EPA ATTAINS assessments under Clean Water Act §303(d) indicate 26.5% of Walsh County's 83 assessed water bodies are classified as impaired (22 impaired). The top reported causes are COMBINED BIOTA/HABITAT BIOASSESSMENTS, BENTHIC MACROINVERTEBRATES BIOASSESSMENTS, SELENIUM. 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 Walsh County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 9,761 measurements from 22 monitoring sites in Walsh County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Nutrient, Physical, 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 Walsh County right now?
Walsh County's primary USGS streamgage on the FOREST RIVER has a pipeline snapshot of 107 cubic feet per second — 160% of the long-term mean of 66.97 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 Walsh County water compare to the North Dakota average?
Walsh County's SDWIS water quality score of 86.0/100 is higher 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 Walsh County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Walsh County has a water quality grade of A (86.0/100). 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 Walsh County have clean drinking water?
Walsh County has 0 health-based drinking water violations according to EPA records. With a water quality score of 86.0/100 and grade A, the county's drinking water meets EPA standards with no recorded health violations. 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 Walsh County rank for water quality in North Dakota?
Walsh County ranks #37 out of 52 counties in North Dakota by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 86.0/100, 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

Adams County

North Dakota

A

86.0

Water score

Barnes County

North Dakota

A

86.0

Water score

Billings County

North Dakota

A

86.0

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.

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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