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Federal water data

County water report

Franklin County Water Report

Drinking-water compliance, watershed health, monitoring records, and river conditions for Franklin County, Pennsylvania.

Water grade

F

Water score

40.2

State rank

#35

of 67

Health violations

36

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

0.0%

20,272 water bodies assessed

Monitoring sites

62

22,842 recent measurements

Live streamflow

No gauge

Primary USGS station not mapped

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Franklin County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

F

Score: 40.2 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

36

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

0% impaired

20,272 bodies assessed

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

No gauge

Primary USGS gauge not mapped

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

62

22,842 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.

40.2/100

Health violations

36

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

32.0

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding Franklin County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Franklin County's water systems carry a failing grade, scoring 40.2 out of 100. Over the past five years, EPA SDWIS records 36 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). None of the assessed waterways are listed as impaired (0 of 20,272 water bodies) across Franklin County's watersheds. Impairment does not mean tap water is unsafe — it measures ambient waterway conditions upstream of treatment, not finished drinking water.

Monitoring Network

EPA WQP

EPA's Water Quality Portal (WQP) aggregates monitoring data from federal, state, and tribal agencies. Franklin County has extensive coverage with 62 active monitoring sites with 22,842 recent measurements on record. Predominant monitoring categories include organics, other 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 Franklin County

Water Verdict

Franklin County receives a below-average water quality assessment with a grade of F and a score of 40.2 out of 100. Residents should review their utility's Consumer Confidence Report and may want to consider additional water filtration for drinking.

Violation Context

Franklin County has recorded 36 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 32.0 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is high and signals significant water quality management issues.

Consumer Guidance

Franklin County has a Grade F compliance record with 36 health-based violations — among the highest levels in the country. Franklin County's drinking-water compliance score is 40.2 out of 100. The violation rate for Franklin County is 32.0 per 100,000 people served. Residents are strongly advised to use a certified NSF 58 reverse-osmosis filter or bottled water for all drinking and cooking until violations are corrected. Contacting the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Quality or Health can expedite utility compliance action. With 62 active water-quality monitoring sites in Franklin County, data coverage is strong.

Regional Context

Franklin County has water quality close to the average county in Pennsylvania. Its water score is within 1.3 points of the state average, meaning its overall water system performance is broadly representative of Pennsylvania 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 Franklin County's water environment

Official EPA Resources for Franklin County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Franklin County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Franklin County

Consumer Confidence Reports (PA)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in Pennsylvania

Clean Water Act §303(d)

Watershed Health

Impaired Water Bodies

0.0%

0 of 20,272 assessed

Mostly healthy

Top Impairment Causes

No specific impairment causes reported for the assessed water bodies in this county.

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

62

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

23K

22,842 total readings

Most Measured

  • Organics, Other
  • Inorganics, Minor, Metals
  • Organics, Pesticide

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).

Free tool

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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 Franklin 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 Franklin County, Pennsylvania?
Franklin County, Pennsylvania has a drinking-water quality grade of F with a score of 40.2/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 36 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 Franklin County?
Franklin County has 36 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 Franklin County?
EPA ATTAINS assessments under Clean Water Act §303(d) indicate 0.0% of Franklin County's 20,272 assessed water bodies are classified as impaired (0 impaired). 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 Franklin County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 22,842 measurements from 62 monitoring sites in Franklin County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Organics, Other, Inorganics, Minor, Metals, Organics, Pesticide. 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.
How does Franklin County water compare to the Pennsylvania average?
Franklin County's SDWIS water quality score of 40.2/100 is higher than the Pennsylvania state average of 38.9. The average water quality grade across Pennsylvania is F, based on data from 67 counties with available SDWIS data.
Is tap water safe to drink in Franklin County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Franklin County has a water quality grade of F (40.2/100). 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).
Why does Franklin County have so many water violations?
Franklin County has 36 health-based drinking water violations on record from the EPA SDWIS database. A higher violation count can result from aging infrastructure, underfunded water utilities, agricultural runoff contamination, or industrial pollution. Counties with more water systems may also see more violations simply due to scale. Residents concerned about water quality should consider independent water testing and home filtration systems.
How does Franklin County rank for water quality in Pennsylvania?
Franklin County ranks #35 out of 67 counties in Pennsylvania by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 40.2/100, 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

Adams County

Pennsylvania

D

41.8

Water score

Schuylkill County

Pennsylvania

D

41.9

Water score

Chester County

Pennsylvania

F

38.4

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.

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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