waterbycounty
Federal water data

County water report

Turner County Water Report

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

Water grade

D

Water score

45.4

State rank

#37

of 63

Health violations

1

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

Not reported

EPA ATTAINS coverage varies by state

Monitoring sites

7

265 recent measurements

Live streamflow

9%

EAST FORK VERMILLION RIVER NEAR PARKER, SD

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Turner County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

D

Score: 45.4 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

1

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

Not reported

Coverage varies by state

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

9% of mean

EAST FORK VERMILLION RIVER NEAR PARKER, SD

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

7

265 recent readings

Source: EPA SDWIS · Safe Drinking Water Information System

Drinking Water Compliance

Compliance grade

D

Based on EPA SDWIS compliance history.

Water score

Higher scores indicate cleaner recent compliance records.

45.4/100

Health violations

1

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

23.3

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding Turner County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Turner County's drinking water received a D grade, scoring 45.4 out of 100. Over the past five years, EPA SDWIS records 1 health-based violation — a single incident worth monitoring.

River & Streamflow Status

USGS NWIS

USGS NWIS gauge data (as of 2026-05-14T13:15:00.000-05:00) puts EAST FORK VERMILLION RIVER at 11.1 cfs — well below its long-term average at 9% 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. Turner County has limited coverage with 7 active monitoring sites with 265 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 Turner County

Water Verdict

Turner County receives a below-average water quality assessment with a grade of D and a score of 45.4 out of 100. Residents should review their utility's Consumer Confidence Report and may want to consider additional water filtration for drinking.

Violation Context

Turner County has recorded 1 health-based violation, meaning the water system experienced at least one exceedance of federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements. At 23.3 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is high and signals significant water quality management issues.

Consumer Guidance

Turner County's drinking-water compliance is below average with a Grade D, indicating repeated or unresolved violations in the recent record. Turner County's drinking-water compliance score is 45.4 out of 100. The violation rate for Turner County is 23.3 per 100,000 people served. Residents are encouraged to use an NSF 53 or NSF 58-certified filter for drinking and cooking water until the underlying violations are resolved. Running tap water for 30 seconds before use and avoiding older lead-pipe connections can also reduce exposure risk. The current Consumer Confidence Report from your utility will specify the contaminants of concern. There are 7 active water-quality monitoring sites in Turner County. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the EAST FORK VERMILLION RIVER gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Turner County has poorer water quality than the average county in South Dakota. Its water score is 11.4 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 Turner County's water environment

Official EPA Resources for Turner County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Turner County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Turner County

Consumer Confidence Reports (SD)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in South Dakota

Past 5 years

Water Quality Monitoring

Monitoring Sites

7

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

265

265 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

11.1cfs

May 14, 6:15 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

9%

Well below typical

Primary Streamgage

EAST FORK VERMILLION RIVER NEAR PARKER, SD

USGS site
06478600
Drainage area
924 sq mi
Long-term mean
122 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 Turner 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.

Try the full calculator →

Improve your water quality at home

Berkey filters remove 99.9%+ of contaminants from tap water.

Shop Berkey →

Sponsored

Test your tap water

Tap Score provides professional mail-in water testing.

Get Tested →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the water quality in Turner County, South Dakota?
Turner County, South Dakota has a drinking-water quality grade of D with a score of 45.4/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 1 health-based drinking water violation over the past 5 years. Watershed health, monitoring records, and streamflow snapshots are reported separately on this page.
Are there any water violations in Turner County?
Turner County has 1 health-based drinking water violation 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 Turner County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 265 measurements from 7 monitoring sites in Turner 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 Turner County right now?
Turner County's primary USGS streamgage on the EAST FORK VERMILLION RIVER has a pipeline snapshot of 11.1 cubic feet per second — 9% of the long-term mean of 122.15 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 Turner County water compare to the South Dakota average?
Turner County's SDWIS water quality score of 45.4/100 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 Turner County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Turner County has a water quality grade of D (45.4/100). 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).
Does Turner County have clean drinking water?
Turner County has 1 health-based drinking water violation according to EPA records. With a water quality score of 45.4/100 and grade D, 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 Turner County rank for water quality in South Dakota?
Turner County ranks #37 out of 63 counties in South Dakota by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 45.4/100, 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

Grant County

South Dakota

D

44.5

Water score

Dewey County

South Dakota

D

46.9

Water score

Beadle County

South Dakota

D

47.6

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

Explore more data for Turner County

Property TaxCost of LivingCrime RateIncomeHealthSchoolsDisaster RiskWeatherCounty Score