waterbycounty
EPA SDWIS

Gonzales County Water Quality

Gonzales County, Texas

Water Grade

B

Water Score

63.8

Violations

1

State Rank

#28

of 254 (1 = best)

EPA SDWIS Compliance

Drinking Water Quality

Water Quality Grade

B

Based on EPA compliance history and violation data

Water Score

63.8/100

Higher = better quality

Health Violations

1

Health-based violations

Violation Rate

4.3%

Systems with violations

Water Advisory: Gonzales County

Water Verdict

Gonzales County receives a fair water quality assessment with a grade of B and a score of 63.8 out of 100. The water supply meets baseline federal standards, but there may be periods of elevated contaminant levels or infrastructure concerns worth monitoring.

Violation Context

Gonzales County has recorded 1 health-based violation, meaning the water system experienced at least one exceedance of federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements. At 4.3 violations per 1,000 residents, this rate is moderate and suggests recurring water quality challenges.

Consumer Guidance

Tap water in Gonzales County is generally safe to drink based on available data. Residents should still review their utility's annual Consumer Confidence Report for transparency on detected contaminants. With 1 recorded health violation, staying informed about utility communications and boil-water notices is especially important. For long-term peace of mind, request your utility's latest Consumer Confidence Report and consider independent water testing if you have specific health concerns.

Regional Context

Gonzales County has better water quality than the average county in Texas. Its water score is 33.4 points higher than the state average, indicating stronger water system performance relative to neighboring counties.

Past 5 years

Water Quality Monitoring

Monitoring Sites

15

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

2.9K

2,896 total readings

Most Measured

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

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

416cfs

May 14, 6:45 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

28%

Well below typical

Primary Streamgage

Guadalupe Rv at Gonzales, TX

USGS site
08173900
Drainage area
3,490 sq mi
Long-term mean
1,491 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; "% of typical" compares the latest reading against that average.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the water quality in Gonzales County, Texas?
Gonzales County, Texas has a drinking-water quality grade of B with a score of 63.8/100, 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 live streamflow are reported separately on this page.
Are there any water violations in Gonzales County?
Gonzales 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 Gonzales County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 2,896 measurements from 15 monitoring sites in Gonzales County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Physical, Inorganics, Major, Non-metals, Nutrient. 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 Gonzales County right now?
Gonzales County's primary USGS streamgage on the Guadalupe Rv is currently reading 416 cubic feet per second — 28% of the long-term mean of 1,491.04 cfs. This is well below typical — often a signal of drought stress on source water. For genuine real-time data, visit waterdata.usgs.gov.
How does Gonzales County water compare to the Texas average?
Gonzales County's SDWIS water quality score of 63.8/100 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 Gonzales County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Gonzales County has a water quality grade of B (63.8/100). This indicates good to excellent water quality with strong SDWIS compliance. 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 Gonzales County have clean drinking water?
Gonzales County has 1 health-based drinking water violation according to EPA records. With a water quality score of 63.8/100 and grade B, 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 Gonzales County rank for water quality in Texas?
Gonzales County ranks #28 out of 254 counties in Texas by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 63.8/100, 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

Brown County

Texas

B

63.8

Water score

Ellis County

Texas

B

64.2

Water score

Hidalgo County

Texas

B

64.2

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 Logan Johnson, Founder & Data EditorUpdated Reviewed by Logan Johnson, Founder & Data Editor

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