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County water report

Bennett County Water Report

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

Water grade

A

Water score

86.0

State rank

#2

of 63

Health violations

0

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

Not reported

EPA ATTAINS coverage varies by state

Monitoring sites

5

623 recent measurements

Live streamflow

55%

LITTLE WHITE RIVER NEAR VETAL,SD

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Bennett County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

A

Score: 86.0 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

0

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

Not reported

Coverage varies by state

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

55% of mean

LITTLE WHITE RIVER NEAR VETAL,SD

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

5

623 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 Bennett County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Bennett 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 largely rural county.

River & Streamflow Status

USGS NWIS

USGS NWIS gauge data (as of 2026-05-14T13:00:00.000-06:00) puts LITTLE WHITE RIVER at 36.2 cfs — well below its long-term average at 55% 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. Bennett County has limited coverage with 5 active monitoring sites with 623 recent measurements on record. Predominant monitoring categories include physical and nutrient. 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 Bennett County

Water Verdict

Bennett County, South Dakota 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. The county's primary USGS gauge drains roughly 607 square miles of upstream watershed, giving local source waters a regional footprint. At the most recent USGS reading, local streamflow was below its historical mean at 55.2% — worth watching in drier seasons.

Violation Context

EPA SDWIS records for Bennett County, South Dakota show zero health-based violations, indicating that the county's water systems met all federal safety standards during the reporting period. The violation rate is zero per 100,000 people served, which is the best possible outcome. Independent monitoring is comparatively sparse here — 623 water-quality results logged in the EPA Water Quality Portal over the past five years — so the utility's own reporting carries extra weight.

Consumer Guidance

The EPA compliance record for Bennett County shows no recent health-based violations. No health-based violations have been recorded, placing Bennett County in the top tier for drinking-water safety. Bennett 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. There are 5 active water-quality monitoring sites in Bennett County. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the LITTLE WHITE RIVER gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Bennett County has better water quality than the average county in South Dakota. Its water score is 29.2 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.

Past 5 years

Water Quality Monitoring

Monitoring Sites

5

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

623

623 total readings

Most Measured

  • Physical
  • Nutrient
  • Microbiological

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

36.2cfs

May 14, 7:00 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

55%

Well below typical

Primary Streamgage

LITTLE WHITE RIVER NEAR VETAL,SD

USGS site
06449100
Drainage area
607 sq mi
Long-term mean
65.6 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.

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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 Bennett 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.

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Bennett County has good water quality

Learn about water restrictions and conservation in your area.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the water quality in Bennett County, South Dakota?
Bennett County, South 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 Bennett County?
Bennett 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 much water-quality monitoring happens in Bennett County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 623 measurements from 5 monitoring sites in Bennett County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Physical, Nutrient, Microbiological. 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 Bennett County right now?
Bennett County's primary USGS streamgage on the LITTLE WHITE RIVER has a pipeline snapshot of 36.2 cubic feet per second — 55% of the long-term mean of 65.59 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 Bennett County water compare to the South Dakota average?
Bennett County's SDWIS water quality score of 86.0/100 is higher than the South Dakota state average of 56.8. The average water quality grade across South Dakota is D, based on data from 63 counties with available SDWIS data.
Is tap water safe to drink in Bennett County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Bennett 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 Bennett County have clean drinking water?
Bennett 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 Bennett County rank for water quality in South Dakota?
Bennett County ranks #2 out of 63 counties in South Dakota by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 86.0/100, 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

Aurora County

South Dakota

A

86.0

Water score

Charles Mix County

South Dakota

A

86.0

Water score

Clark County

South 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.

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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