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County water report

Menard County Water Report

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

Water grade

F

Water score

29.9

State rank

#116

of 254

Health violations

1

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

Not reported

EPA ATTAINS coverage varies by state

Monitoring sites

1

150 recent measurements

Live streamflow

25%

San Saba Rv at Menard, TX

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Menard County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

F

Score: 29.9 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

1

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

Not reported

Coverage varies by state

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

25% of mean

San Saba Rv at Menard, TX

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

1

150 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.

29.9/100

Health violations

1

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

68.0

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding Menard County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Menard County's water systems carry a failing grade, scoring 29.9 out of 100. Over the past five years, EPA SDWIS records 1 health-based violation — a single incident worth monitoring.

River & Streamflow Status

USGS NWIS

USGS NWIS gauge data (as of 2026-05-14T14:10:00.000-05:00) puts San Saba Rv at 14.1 cfs — well below its long-term average at 25% 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. Menard County has limited coverage with 1 active monitoring site with 150 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 Menard County

Water Verdict

Menard County receives a poor water quality assessment with a grade of F and a score of 29.9 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.

Violation Context

Menard County has recorded 1 health-based violation, meaning the water system experienced at least one exceedance of federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements. At 68.0 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is high and signals significant water quality management issues.

Consumer Guidance

Drinking-water compliance in Menard County is rated Grade F, reflecting significant health-based violations in the recent reporting period. Menard County's drinking-water compliance score is 29.9 out of 100. The violation rate for Menard County is 68.0 per 100,000 people served. An NSF 53 or NSF 58-certified filter is recommended for drinking and cooking water. Check the Consumer Confidence Report from your utility to identify the specific contaminants and required corrective actions — utilities are legally required to notify customers of violations. There is 1 active water-quality monitoring site in Menard County. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the San Saba Rv gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Menard County has water quality close to the average county in Texas. Its water score is within 0.5 points of the state average, meaning its overall water system performance is broadly representative of Texas as a whole.

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 Menard County's water environment

Official EPA Resources for Menard County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Menard County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Menard County

Consumer Confidence Reports (TX)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in Texas

Past 5 years

Water Quality Monitoring

Monitoring Sites

1

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

150

150 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

14.1cfs

May 14, 7:10 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

25%

Well below typical

Primary Streamgage

San Saba Rv at Menard, TX

USGS site
08144500
Drainage area
1,135 sq mi
Long-term mean
57.5 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 Menard 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 Menard County, Texas?
Menard County, Texas has a drinking-water quality grade of F with a score of 29.9/100, 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 streamflow snapshots are reported separately on this page.
Are there any water violations in Menard County?
Menard 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 Menard County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 150 measurements from 1 monitoring sites in Menard 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 Menard County right now?
Menard County's primary USGS streamgage on the San Saba Rv has a pipeline snapshot of 14.1 cubic feet per second — 25% of the long-term mean of 57.55 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 Menard County water compare to the Texas average?
Menard County's SDWIS water quality score of 29.9/100 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 Menard County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Menard County has a water quality grade of F (29.9/100). 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).
Does Menard County have clean drinking water?
Menard County has 1 health-based drinking water violation according to EPA records. With a water quality score of 29.9/100 and grade F, 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 Menard County rank for water quality in Texas?
Menard County ranks #116 out of 254 counties in Texas by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 29.9/100, it falls in the middle 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

Willacy County

Texas

F

29.8

Water score

Armstrong County

Texas

F

29.7

Water score

Uvalde County

Texas

F

30.5

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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