waterbycounty
EPA SDWIS

Tulsa County Water Quality

Tulsa County, Oklahoma

Water Grade

A

Water Score

70.4

Violations

5

State Rank

#3

of 77 (1 = best)

EPA SDWIS Compliance

Drinking Water Quality

Water Quality Grade

A

Based on EPA compliance history and violation data

Water Score

70.4/100

Higher = better quality

Health Violations

5

Health-based violations

Violation Rate

0.8%

Systems with violations

Water Advisory: Tulsa County

Water Verdict

Tulsa County receives a good water quality assessment with a grade of A and a score of 70.4 out of 100. While the water supply is generally safe, occasional monitoring gaps or minor contaminant detections may occur.

Violation Context

Tulsa County has recorded 5 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 0.8 violations per 1,000 residents, this rate is relatively low compared to many U.S. counties.

Consumer Guidance

Tap water in Tulsa County is generally safe to drink based on available data. Residents should still review their utility's annual Consumer Confidence Report for transparency on detected contaminants. With 5 recorded health violations, staying informed about utility communications and boil-water notices is especially important. For long-term peace of mind, request your utility's latest Consumer Confidence Report and consider independent water testing if you have specific health concerns.

Regional Context

Tulsa County has better water quality than the average county in Oklahoma. Its water score is 54.6 points higher than the state average, indicating stronger water system performance relative to neighboring counties.

Clean Water Act §303(d)

Watershed Health

Impaired Water Bodies

100.0%

4 of 4 assessed

High concern

Top Impairment Causes

  • 1

    TURBIDITY

  • 2

    FISH 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

8

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

9.9K

9,891 total readings

Most Measured

  • Not Assigned
  • Physical
  • Biological, Algae, Phytoplankton

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

10.2Kcfs

Nov 29, 6:30 AM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

122%

Above typical

Primary Streamgage

Arkansas River at Tulsa, OK

USGS site
07164500
Drainage area
74,460 sq mi
Long-term mean
8,376 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; "% of typical" compares the latest reading against that average.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the water quality in Tulsa County, Oklahoma?
Tulsa County, Oklahoma has a drinking-water quality grade of A with a score of 70.4/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 5 health-based drinking water violations over the past 5 years. Watershed health, monitoring records, and live streamflow are reported separately on this page.
Are there any water violations in Tulsa County?
Tulsa County has 5 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 Tulsa County?
EPA ATTAINS assessments under Clean Water Act §303(d) indicate 100.0% of Tulsa County's 4 assessed water bodies are classified as impaired (4 impaired). The top reported causes are TURBIDITY, FISH 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 Tulsa County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 9,891 measurements from 8 monitoring sites in Tulsa County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Not Assigned, Physical, Biological, Algae, Phytoplankton. 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 Tulsa County right now?
Tulsa County's primary USGS streamgage on the Arkansas River is currently reading 10,200 cubic feet per second — 122% of the long-term mean of 8,376.27 cfs. Flow is within typical range for this gauge. For genuine real-time data, visit waterdata.usgs.gov.
How does Tulsa County water compare to the Oklahoma average?
Tulsa County's SDWIS water quality score of 70.4/100 is higher than the Oklahoma state average of 15.8. The average water quality grade across Oklahoma is F, based on data from 77 counties with available SDWIS data.
Is tap water safe to drink in Tulsa County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Tulsa County has a water quality grade of A (70.4/100). 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 Tulsa County have clean drinking water?
Tulsa County has 5 health-based drinking water violations according to EPA records. With a water quality score of 70.4/100 and grade A, 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 Tulsa County rank for water quality in Oklahoma?
Tulsa County ranks #3 out of 77 counties in Oklahoma by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 70.4/100, it falls in the top 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

Oklahoma County

Oklahoma

B

63.8

Water score

Harper County

Oklahoma

A

86.0

Water score

Love County

Oklahoma

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, 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 Logan Johnson, Founder & Data EditorUpdated Reviewed by Logan Johnson, Founder & Data Editor

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