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County water report

Donley County Water Report

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

Water grade

C

Water score

56.8

State rank

#43

of 254

Health violations

2

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

Not reported

EPA ATTAINS coverage varies by state

Monitoring sites

8

1,336 recent measurements

Live streamflow

0%

Lelia Lk Ck bl Bell Ck nr Hedley, TX

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Donley County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

C

Score: 56.8 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

2

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

Not reported

Coverage varies by state

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

0% of mean

Lelia Lk Ck bl Bell Ck nr Hedley, TX

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

8

1,336 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.

56.8/100

Health violations

2

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

9.0

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding Donley County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Donley County's drinking water earned a C grade, scoring 56.8 out of 100. Over the past five years, EPA SDWIS records 2 health-based violations — a small cluster that warrants attention.

River & Streamflow Status

USGS NWIS

USGS NWIS gauge data (as of 2026-05-14T13:45:00.000-05:00) puts Lelia Lk Ck bl Bell Ck at 0.0 cfs — well below its long-term average at 0% 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. Donley County has limited coverage with 8 active monitoring sites with 1,336 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 Donley County

Water Verdict

Donley County, Texas receives a fair water quality assessment with a grade of C and a score of 56.8 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 74 square miles of upstream watershed, giving local source waters a regional footprint.

Violation Context

EPA SDWIS records for Donley County, Texas show 2 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 9.0 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is high and signals significant water quality management issues. For independent context, 1,336 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 Donley County meets baseline standards but the compliance record shows room for improvement, with a Grade C rating. Donley County's drinking-water compliance score is 56.8 out of 100. The violation rate for Donley County is 9.0 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 8 active water-quality monitoring sites in Donley County. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the Lelia Lk Ck bl Bell Ck gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Donley County has better water quality than the average county in Texas. Its water score is 26.4 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 Donley County's water environment

Official EPA Resources for Donley County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Donley County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Donley County

Consumer Confidence Reports (TX)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in Texas

Past 5 years

Water Quality Monitoring

Monitoring Sites

8

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

1.3K

1,336 total readings

Most Measured

  • Physical
  • Inorganics, Major, Non-metals
  • Biological

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

0.00cfs

May 14, 6:45 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

0%

Well below typical

Primary Streamgage

Lelia Lk Ck bl Bell Ck nr Hedley, TX

USGS site
07299890
Drainage area
74 sq mi
Long-term mean
1.86 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 Donley 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 Donley County, Texas?
Donley County, Texas has a drinking-water quality grade of C with a score of 56.8/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 2 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 Donley County?
Donley County has 2 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 Donley County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 1,336 measurements from 8 monitoring sites in Donley County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Physical, Inorganics, Major, Non-metals, Biological. 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 Donley County right now?
Donley County's primary USGS streamgage on the Lelia Lk Ck bl Bell Ck has a pipeline snapshot of 0 cubic feet per second — 0% of the long-term mean of 1.86 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 Donley County water compare to the Texas average?
Donley County's SDWIS water quality score of 56.8/100 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 Donley County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Donley County has a water quality grade of C (56.8/100). 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 Donley County have clean drinking water?
Donley County has 2 health-based drinking water violations according to EPA records. With a water quality score of 56.8/100 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 Donley County rank for water quality in Texas?
Donley County ranks #43 out of 254 counties in Texas by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 56.8/100, 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

Ward County

Texas

C

56.8

Water score

Wood County

Texas

C

56.8

Water score

Atascosa County

Texas

C

56.9

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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