waterbycounty
EPA SDWIS

Live Oak County Water Quality

Live Oak County, Texas

Water Grade

C

Water Score

53.4

Violations

1

State Rank

#53

of 254 (1 = best)

EPA SDWIS Compliance

Drinking Water Quality

Water Quality Grade

C

Based on EPA compliance history and violation data

Water Score

53.4/100

Higher = better quality

Health Violations

1

Health-based violations

Violation Rate

12.0%

Systems with violations

Water Advisory: Live Oak County

Water Verdict

Live Oak County receives a below-average water quality assessment with a grade of C and a score of 53.4 out of 100. Residents should review their utility's Consumer Confidence Report and may want to consider additional water filtration for drinking.

Violation Context

Live Oak County has recorded 1 health-based violation, meaning the water system experienced at least one exceedance of federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements. At 12.0 violations per 1,000 residents, this rate is high and signals significant water quality management issues.

Consumer Guidance

Tap water in Live Oak County meets baseline standards, but residents who are immunocompromised or have young children may want to use an NSF-certified water filter as a precaution. 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

Live Oak County has better water quality than the average county in Texas. Its water score is 23 points higher than the state average, indicating stronger water system performance relative to neighboring counties.

Past 5 years

Water Quality Monitoring

Monitoring Sites

9

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

3.0K

2,958 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

67.4cfs

May 14, 6:15 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

11%

Well below typical

Primary Streamgage

Nueces Rv nr Three Rivers, TX

USGS site
08210000
Drainage area
15,427 sq mi
Long-term mean
624 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 Live Oak County, Texas?
Live Oak County, Texas has a drinking-water quality grade of C with a score of 53.4/100, 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 live streamflow are reported separately on this page.
Are there any water violations in Live Oak County?
Live Oak 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 Live Oak County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 2,958 measurements from 9 monitoring sites in Live Oak 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 Live Oak County right now?
Live Oak County's primary USGS streamgage on the Nueces Rv is currently reading 67.4 cubic feet per second — 11% of the long-term mean of 624.15 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 Live Oak County water compare to the Texas average?
Live Oak County's SDWIS water quality score of 53.4/100 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 Live Oak County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Live Oak County has a water quality grade of C (53.4/100). 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 Live Oak County have clean drinking water?
Live Oak County has 1 health-based drinking water violation according to EPA records. With a water quality score of 53.4/100 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 Live Oak County rank for water quality in Texas?
Live Oak County ranks #53 out of 254 counties in Texas by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 53.4/100, 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

Deaf Smith County

Texas

C

53.1

Water score

Nacogdoches County

Texas

C

52.5

Water score

Brazos County

Texas

C

52.2

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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