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Federal water data

County water report

Meade County Water Report

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

Water grade

F

Water score

38.9

State rank

#41

of 63

Health violations

7

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

Not reported

EPA ATTAINS coverage varies by state

Monitoring sites

18

1,458 recent measurements

Live streamflow

25%

BELLE FOURCHE RIVER NEAR ELM SPRINGS,SD

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Meade County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

F

Score: 38.9 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

7

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

Not reported

Coverage varies by state

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

25% of mean

BELLE FOURCHE RIVER NEAR ELM SPRINGS,SD

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

18

1,458 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.

38.9/100

Health violations

7

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

34.7

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding Meade County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Meade County's water systems carry a failing grade, scoring 38.9 out of 100. Over the past five years, EPA SDWIS records 7 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 2026-05-14T13:00:00.000-06:00) puts BELLE FOURCHE RIVER at 98.3 cfs — well below its long-term average at 25% 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. Meade County has moderate coverage with 18 active monitoring sites with 1,458 recent measurements on record. Predominant monitoring categories include physical and organics, pesticide. 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 Meade County

Water Verdict

Meade County, South Dakota receives a poor water quality assessment with a grade of F and a score of 38.9 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. The county's primary USGS gauge drains roughly 7,004 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 25.2% — worth watching in drier seasons.

Violation Context

EPA SDWIS records for Meade County, South Dakota show 7 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 34.7 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is high and signals significant water quality management issues. For independent context, 1,458 water-quality monitoring results have been recorded across the county in the EPA Water Quality Portal over the past five years.

Consumer Guidance

Drinking-water compliance in Meade County is rated Grade F, reflecting significant health-based violations in the recent reporting period. Meade County's drinking-water compliance score is 38.9 out of 100. The violation rate for Meade County is 34.7 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 18 active water-quality monitoring sites in Meade County, data coverage is strong. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the BELLE FOURCHE RIVER gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Meade County has poorer water quality than the average county in South Dakota. Its water score is 17.9 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 Meade County's water environment

Official EPA Resources for Meade County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Meade County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Meade County

Consumer Confidence Reports (SD)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in South Dakota

Past 5 years

Water Quality Monitoring

Monitoring Sites

18

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

1.5K

1,458 total readings

Most Measured

  • Physical
  • Organics, Pesticide
  • Organics, Other

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

98.3cfs

May 14, 7:00 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

25%

Well below typical

Primary Streamgage

BELLE FOURCHE RIVER NEAR ELM SPRINGS,SD

USGS site
06438000
Drainage area
7,004 sq mi
Long-term mean
391 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 Meade 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 Meade County, South Dakota?
Meade County, South Dakota has a drinking-water quality grade of F with a score of 38.9/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 7 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 Meade County?
Meade County has 7 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 Meade County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 1,458 measurements from 18 monitoring sites in Meade County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Physical, Organics, Pesticide, Organics, Other. 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 Meade County right now?
Meade County's primary USGS streamgage on the BELLE FOURCHE RIVER has a pipeline snapshot of 98.3 cubic feet per second — 25% of the long-term mean of 390.7 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 Meade County water compare to the South Dakota average?
Meade County's SDWIS water quality score of 38.9/100 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 Meade County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Meade County has a water quality grade of F (38.9/100). 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 Meade County have so many water violations?
Meade County has 7 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 Meade County rank for water quality in South Dakota?
Meade County ranks #41 out of 63 counties in South Dakota by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 38.9/100, 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

Edmunds County

South Dakota

F

38.8

Water score

Day County

South Dakota

F

38.6

Water score

Pennington County

South Dakota

F

41.3

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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