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Federal water data

County water report

Wells County Water Report

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

Water grade

F

Water score

39.6

State rank

#44

of 52

Health violations

2

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

17.6%

34 water bodies assessed

Monitoring sites

9

2,968 recent measurements

Live streamflow

106%

SHEYENNE RIVER ABOVE HARVEY, ND

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Wells County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

F

Score: 39.6 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

2

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

18% impaired

34 bodies assessed

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

106% of mean

SHEYENNE RIVER ABOVE HARVEY, ND

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

9

2,968 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.

39.6/100

Health violations

2

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

33.0

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding Wells County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Wells County's water systems carry a failing grade, scoring 39.6 out of 100. Over the past five years, EPA SDWIS records 2 health-based violations — a small cluster that warrants attention.

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 17.6% of assessed waterways carry an impairment designation (6 of 34 water bodies) across Wells County's watersheds. The leading impairment causes are escherichia coli (e. coli) and fecal coliform. 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 2026-05-14T13:30:00.000-05:00) puts SHEYENNE RIVER ABOVE HARVEY, ND at 15.5 cfs — near its historical average at 106% 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. Wells County has limited coverage with 9 active monitoring sites with 2,968 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 Wells County

Water Verdict

Wells County receives a poor water quality assessment with a grade of F and a score of 39.6 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.

Violation Context

Wells County has recorded 2 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 33.0 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is high and signals significant water quality management issues.

Consumer Guidance

Drinking-water compliance in Wells County is rated Grade F, reflecting significant health-based violations in the recent reporting period. Wells County's drinking-water compliance score is 39.6 out of 100. The violation rate for Wells County is 33.0 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. E. coli is the leading impairment cause in Wells County's watershed. There are 9 active water-quality monitoring sites in Wells County. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the SHEYENNE RIVER ABOVE HARVEY, ND gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Wells County has poorer water quality than the average county in North Dakota. Its water score is 32 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 Wells County's water environment

Watershed Impairment Causes (EPA ATTAINS)

  • 1

    E. coli (bacteria)

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

  • 2

    Fecal coliform bacteria

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

  • 3

    Benthic Macroinvertebrates Bioassessments

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

Source: EPA ATTAINS · Reporting cycle 2022

Official EPA Resources for Wells County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Wells County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Wells County

Consumer Confidence Reports (ND)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in North Dakota

Clean Water Act §303(d)

Watershed Health

Impaired Water Bodies

17.6%

6 of 34 assessed

Some impairment

Top Impairment Causes

  • 1

    ESCHERICHIA COLI (E. COLI)

  • 2

    FECAL COLIFORM

  • 3

    BENTHIC MACROINVERTEBRATES BIOASSESSMENTS

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

3.0K

2,968 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

15.5cfs

May 14, 6:30 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

106%

Near typical

Primary Streamgage

SHEYENNE RIVER ABOVE HARVEY, ND

USGS site
05054500
Drainage area
424 sq mi
Long-term mean
14.6 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 Wells 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 Wells County, North Dakota?
Wells County, North Dakota has a drinking-water quality grade of F with a score of 39.6/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 2 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 Wells County?
Wells County has 2 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 Wells County?
EPA ATTAINS assessments under Clean Water Act §303(d) indicate 17.6% of Wells County's 34 assessed water bodies are classified as impaired (6 impaired). The top reported causes are ESCHERICHIA COLI (E. COLI), FECAL COLIFORM, BENTHIC MACROINVERTEBRATES BIOASSESSMENTS. 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 Wells County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 2,968 measurements from 9 monitoring sites in Wells 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 Wells County right now?
Wells County's primary USGS streamgage on the SHEYENNE RIVER ABOVE HARVEY, ND has a pipeline snapshot of 15.5 cubic feet per second — 106% of the long-term mean of 14.61 cfs. Flow is within typical range for this gauge. For the latest gauge feed, visit waterdata.usgs.gov.
How does Wells County water compare to the North Dakota average?
Wells County's SDWIS water quality score of 39.6/100 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 Wells County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Wells County has a water quality grade of F (39.6/100). 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 Wells County have clean drinking water?
Wells County has 2 health-based drinking water violations according to EPA records. With a water quality score of 39.6/100 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 Wells County rank for water quality in North Dakota?
Wells County ranks #44 out of 52 counties in North Dakota by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 39.6/100, 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

Rolette County

North Dakota

D

42.3

Water score

Divide County

North Dakota

F

30.6

Water score

Dickey County

North Dakota

F

26.3

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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