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County water report

Jim Wells County Water Report

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

Water grade

F

Water score

12.6

State rank

#172

of 254

Health violations

63

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

Not reported

EPA ATTAINS coverage varies by state

Monitoring sites

3

981 recent measurements

Live streamflow

11%

San Fernando Ck at Alice, TX

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Jim Wells County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

F

Score: 12.6 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

63

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

Not reported

Coverage varies by state

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

11% of mean

San Fernando Ck at Alice, TX

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

3

981 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.

12.6/100

Health violations

63

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

250.8

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding Jim Wells County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Jim Wells County's water systems carry a failing grade, scoring 12.6 out of 100. Over the past five years, EPA SDWIS records 63 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 2026-05-14T13:15:00.000-05:00) puts San Fernando Ck at 1.9 cfs — well below its long-term average at 11% 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. Jim Wells County has limited coverage with 3 active monitoring sites with 981 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 Jim Wells County

Water Verdict

Jim Wells County, Texas receives a poor water quality assessment with a grade of F and a score of 12.6 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 507 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 10.5% — worth watching in drier seasons.

Violation Context

EPA SDWIS records for Jim Wells County, Texas show 63 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 250.8 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is high and signals significant water quality management issues. Independent monitoring is comparatively sparse here — 981 water-quality results logged in the EPA Water Quality Portal over the past five years — so the utility's own reporting carries extra weight.

Consumer Guidance

Jim Wells County has a Grade F compliance record with 63 health-based violations — among the highest levels in the country. Jim Wells County's drinking-water compliance score is 12.6 out of 100. Residents are strongly advised to use a certified NSF 58 reverse-osmosis filter or bottled water for all drinking and cooking until violations are corrected. Contacting the Texas Department of Environmental Quality or Health can expedite utility compliance action. There are 3 active water-quality monitoring sites in Jim Wells County. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the San Fernando Ck gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Jim Wells County has poorer water quality than the average county in Texas. Its water score is 17.8 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 Jim Wells County's water environment

Official EPA Resources for Jim Wells County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Jim Wells County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Jim Wells County

Consumer Confidence Reports (TX)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in Texas

Past 5 years

Water Quality Monitoring

Monitoring Sites

3

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

981

981 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

1.85cfs

May 14, 6:15 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

11%

Well below typical

Primary Streamgage

San Fernando Ck at Alice, TX

USGS site
08211900
Drainage area
507 sq mi
Long-term mean
17.7 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 Jim Wells 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 Jim Wells County, Texas?
Jim Wells County, Texas has a drinking-water quality grade of F with a score of 12.6/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 63 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 Jim Wells County?
Jim Wells County has 63 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 Jim Wells County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 981 measurements from 3 monitoring sites in Jim Wells 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 Jim Wells County right now?
Jim Wells County's primary USGS streamgage on the San Fernando Ck has a pipeline snapshot of 1.85 cubic feet per second — 11% of the long-term mean of 17.69 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 Jim Wells County water compare to the Texas average?
Jim Wells County's SDWIS water quality score of 12.6/100 is lower 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 Jim Wells County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Jim Wells County has a water quality grade of F (12.6/100). 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 Jim Wells County have so many water violations?
Jim Wells County has 63 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 Jim Wells County rank for water quality in Texas?
Jim Wells County ranks #172 out of 254 counties in Texas by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 12.6/100, it falls in the bottom 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

Collingsworth County

Texas

F

12.6

Water score

Wise County

Texas

F

12.7

Water score

Brewster County

Texas

F

13.1

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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