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County water report

Bowie County Water Report

Drinking-water compliance, watershed health, monitoring records, and river conditions for Bowie County, Texas.

Water grade

C

Water score

61.5

State rank

#33

of 254

Health violations

5

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

Not reported

EPA ATTAINS coverage varies by state

Monitoring sites

26

6,331 recent measurements

Live streamflow

23%

Red River near De Kalb, TX

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Bowie County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

C

Score: 61.5 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

5

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

Not reported

Coverage varies by state

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

23% of mean

Red River near De Kalb, TX

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

26

6,331 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.

61.5/100

Health violations

5

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

5.4

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding Bowie County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Bowie County's drinking water earned a C grade, scoring 61.5 out of 100. Over the past five years, EPA SDWIS records 5 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 2026-05-14T13:00:00.000-05:00) puts Red River at 2.5k cfs — well below its long-term average at 23% 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. Bowie County has moderate coverage with 26 active monitoring sites with 6,331 recent measurements on record. Predominant monitoring categories include physical and inorganics, major, non-metals. 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 Bowie County

Water Verdict

Bowie County, Texas receives a fair water quality assessment with a grade of C and a score of 61.5 out of 100. The water supply meets baseline federal standards, but there may be periods of elevated contaminant levels or infrastructure concerns worth monitoring. The county's primary USGS gauge drains roughly 47,268 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 22.6% — worth watching in drier seasons.

Violation Context

EPA SDWIS records for Bowie County, Texas show 5 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 5.4 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is moderate and suggests recurring water quality challenges. For independent context, 6,331 water-quality monitoring results have been recorded across the county in the EPA Water Quality Portal over the past five years.

Consumer Guidance

Tap water in Bowie County meets baseline standards but the compliance record shows room for improvement, with a Grade C rating. Bowie County's drinking-water compliance score is 61.5 out of 100. The violation rate for Bowie County is 5.4 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. With 26 active water-quality monitoring sites in Bowie County, data coverage is strong. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the Red River gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Bowie County has better water quality than the average county in Texas. Its water score is 31.1 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.

Contaminants & Resources

Key issues flagged in Bowie County's water environment

Official EPA Resources for Bowie County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Bowie County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Bowie County

Consumer Confidence Reports (TX)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in Texas

Past 5 years

Water Quality Monitoring

Monitoring Sites

26

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

6.3K

6,331 total readings

Most Measured

  • Physical
  • Inorganics, Major, Non-metals
  • 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

2,470cfs

May 14, 6:00 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

23%

Well below typical

Primary Streamgage

Red River near De Kalb, TX

USGS site
07336820
Drainage area
47,268 sq mi
Long-term mean
10.9K 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 Bowie County:C — Moderate

Some violations or watershed impairment detected.

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 Bowie County, Texas?
Bowie County, Texas has a drinking-water quality grade of C with a score of 61.5/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 5 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 Bowie County?
Bowie County has 5 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 Bowie County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 6,331 measurements from 26 monitoring sites in Bowie County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Physical, Inorganics, Major, Non-metals, 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 Bowie County right now?
Bowie County's primary USGS streamgage on the Red River has a pipeline snapshot of 2,470 cubic feet per second — 23% of the long-term mean of 10,921.56 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 Bowie County water compare to the Texas average?
Bowie County's SDWIS water quality score of 61.5/100 is higher than the Texas state average of 30.4. The average water quality grade across Texas is F, based on data from 254 counties with available SDWIS data.
Is tap water safe to drink in Bowie County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Bowie County has a water quality grade of C (61.5/100). 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 Bowie County have clean drinking water?
Bowie County has 5 health-based drinking water violations according to EPA records. With a water quality score of 61.5/100 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 Bowie County rank for water quality in Texas?
Bowie County ranks #33 out of 254 counties in Texas by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 61.5/100, 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

Maverick County

Texas

C

61.7

Water score

Travis County

Texas

C

61.7

Water score

DeWitt County

Texas

C

61.2

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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