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Federal water data

County water report

Lincoln County Water Report

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

Water grade

C

Water score

53.2

State rank

#33

of 63

Health violations

3

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

Not reported

EPA ATTAINS coverage varies by state

Monitoring sites

9

898 recent measurements

Live streamflow

No gauge

BEAVER CR AT CANTON SD

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Lincoln County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

C

Score: 53.2 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

3

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

Not reported

Coverage varies by state

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

No gauge

BEAVER CR AT CANTON SD

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

9

898 recent readings

Source: EPA SDWIS · Safe Drinking Water Information System

Drinking Water Compliance

Compliance grade

C

Based on EPA SDWIS compliance history.

Water score

Higher scores indicate cleaner recent compliance records.

53.2/100

Health violations

3

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

12.2

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding Lincoln County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Lincoln County's drinking water earned a C grade, scoring 53.2 out of 100. Over the past five years, EPA SDWIS records 3 health-based violations — a small cluster that warrants attention.

Monitoring Network

EPA WQP

EPA's Water Quality Portal (WQP) aggregates monitoring data from federal, state, and tribal agencies. Lincoln County has limited coverage with 9 active monitoring sites with 898 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 Lincoln County

Water Verdict

Lincoln County, South Dakota receives a below-average water quality assessment with a grade of C and a score of 53.2 out of 100. Residents should review their utility's Consumer Confidence Report and may want to consider additional water filtration for drinking. The county's primary USGS gauge drains roughly 126 square miles of upstream watershed, giving local source waters a regional footprint.

Violation Context

EPA SDWIS records for Lincoln County, South Dakota show 3 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 12.2 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is high and signals significant water quality management issues. Independent monitoring is comparatively sparse here — 898 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

Tap water in Lincoln County meets baseline standards but the compliance record shows room for improvement, with a Grade C rating. Lincoln County's drinking-water compliance score is 53.2 out of 100. The violation rate for Lincoln County is 12.2 per 100,000 people served. Residents who are immunocompromised, pregnant, or have young children may benefit from using an NSF 53-certified filter. Contacting your local utility for the current Consumer Confidence Report will confirm which specific violations were recorded and whether they have been resolved. There are 9 active water-quality monitoring sites in Lincoln County. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the BEAVER CR gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Lincoln County has water quality close to the average county in South Dakota. Its water score is within 3.6 points of the state average, meaning its overall water system performance is broadly representative of South Dakota 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 Lincoln County's water environment

Official EPA Resources for Lincoln County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Lincoln County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Lincoln County

Consumer Confidence Reports (SD)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in South Dakota

Past 5 years

Water Quality Monitoring

Monitoring Sites

9

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

898

898 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).

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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 Lincoln County:D — Poor

Elevated violations or significant watershed impairment.

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 Lincoln County, South Dakota?
Lincoln County, South Dakota has a drinking-water quality grade of C with a score of 53.2/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 3 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 Lincoln County?
Lincoln County has 3 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 Lincoln County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 898 measurements from 9 monitoring sites in Lincoln 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.
How does Lincoln County water compare to the South Dakota average?
Lincoln County's SDWIS water quality score of 53.2/100 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 Lincoln County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Lincoln County has a water quality grade of C (53.2/100). This indicates moderate compliance. Some violations have been recorded but overall standards are maintained. 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 Lincoln County have clean drinking water?
Lincoln County has 3 health-based drinking water violations according to EPA records. With a water quality score of 53.2/100 and grade C, 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 Lincoln County rank for water quality in South Dakota?
Lincoln County ranks #33 out of 63 counties in South Dakota by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 53.2/100, 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

Brookings County

South Dakota

C

57.2

Water score

Clay County

South Dakota

C

57.7

Water score

Lawrence County

South Dakota

D

48.1

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.

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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