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Federal water data

County water report

Brown County Water Report

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

Water grade

F

Water score

32.5

State rank

#45

of 63

Health violations

18

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

Not reported

EPA ATTAINS coverage varies by state

Monitoring sites

20

1,483 recent measurements

Live streamflow

163%

JAMES RIVER AT COLUMBIA,SD

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Brown County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

F

Score: 32.5 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

18

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

Not reported

Coverage varies by state

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

163% of mean

JAMES RIVER AT COLUMBIA,SD

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

20

1,483 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.

32.5/100

Health violations

18

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

55.5

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding Brown County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Brown County's water systems carry a failing grade, scoring 32.5 out of 100. Over the past five years, EPA SDWIS records 18 health-based violations — a pattern that public water utilities are required to disclose and correct.

River & Streamflow Status

USGS NWIS

USGS NWIS gauge data (as of 2026-05-14T14:00:00.000-05:00) puts JAMES RIVER at 618.0 cfs — running significantly above its long-term average at 163% 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. Brown County has moderate coverage with 20 active monitoring sites with 1,483 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 Brown County

Water Verdict

Brown County receives a poor water quality assessment with a grade of F and a score of 32.5 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

Brown County has recorded 18 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 55.5 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is high and signals significant water quality management issues.

Consumer Guidance

Drinking-water compliance in Brown County is rated Grade F, reflecting significant health-based violations in the recent reporting period. Brown County's drinking-water compliance score is 32.5 out of 100. The violation rate for Brown County is 55.5 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. With 20 active water-quality monitoring sites in Brown County, data coverage is strong. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the JAMES RIVER gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Brown County has poorer water quality than the average county in South Dakota. Its water score is 24.3 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 Brown County's water environment

Official EPA Resources for Brown County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Brown County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Brown County

Consumer Confidence Reports (SD)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in South Dakota

Past 5 years

Water Quality Monitoring

Monitoring Sites

20

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

1.5K

1,483 total readings

Most Measured

  • Physical
  • Nutrient
  • Inorganics, Major, 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

618cfs

May 14, 7:00 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

163%

Well above typical

Primary Streamgage

JAMES RIVER AT COLUMBIA,SD

USGS site
06471000
Drainage area
5,691 sq mi
Long-term mean
380 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 Brown County:F — Failing

High violation count or severe watershed conditions.

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 Brown County, South Dakota?
Brown County, South Dakota has a drinking-water quality grade of F with a score of 32.5/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 18 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 Brown County?
Brown County has 18 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 much water-quality monitoring happens in Brown County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 1,483 measurements from 20 monitoring sites in Brown County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Physical, Nutrient, Inorganics, Major, 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 Brown County right now?
Brown County's primary USGS streamgage on the JAMES RIVER has a pipeline snapshot of 618 cubic feet per second — 163% of the long-term mean of 379.96 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 Brown County water compare to the South Dakota average?
Brown County's SDWIS water quality score of 32.5/100 is lower 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 Brown County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Brown County has a water quality grade of F (32.5/100). 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 Brown County have so many water violations?
Brown County has 18 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 Brown County rank for water quality in South Dakota?
Brown County ranks #45 out of 63 counties in South Dakota by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 32.5/100, 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

Moody County

South Dakota

F

32.5

Water score

Butte County

South Dakota

F

33.2

Water score

Hutchinson County

South Dakota

F

28.5

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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