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County water report

Nueces County Water Report

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

Water grade

C

Water score

55.5

State rank

#50

of 254

Health violations

37

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

Not reported

EPA ATTAINS coverage varies by state

Monitoring sites

84

26,894 recent measurements

Live streamflow

0%

Nueces Rv at Calallen, TX

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Nueces County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

C

Score: 55.5 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

37

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

Not reported

Coverage varies by state

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

0% of mean

Nueces Rv at Calallen, TX

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

84

26,894 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.

55.5/100

Health violations

37

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

10.0

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding Nueces County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Nueces County's drinking water earned a C grade, scoring 55.5 out of 100. Over the past five years, EPA SDWIS records 37 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 2026-05-14T13:30:00.000-05:00) puts Nueces Rv 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. Nueces County has extensive coverage with 84 active monitoring sites with 26,894 recent measurements on record. Predominant monitoring categories include microbiological and physical. 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 Nueces County

Water Verdict

Nueces County, Texas receives a fair water quality assessment with a grade of C and a score of 55.5 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 16,684 square miles of upstream watershed, giving local source waters a regional footprint.

Violation Context

EPA SDWIS records for Nueces County, Texas show 37 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 10.0 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is high and signals significant water quality management issues. This compliance record sits alongside an unusually deep monitoring archive: 26,894 water-quality results have been logged across the county in the EPA Water Quality Portal over the past five years.

Consumer Guidance

Tap water in Nueces County meets baseline standards but the compliance record shows room for improvement, with a Grade C rating. Nueces County's drinking-water compliance score is 55.5 out of 100. The violation rate for Nueces County is 10.0 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. With 84 active water-quality monitoring sites in Nueces County, data coverage is strong. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the Nueces Rv gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Nueces County has better water quality than the average county in Texas. Its water score is 25.1 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 Nueces County's water environment

Official EPA Resources for Nueces County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Nueces County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Nueces County

Consumer Confidence Reports (TX)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in Texas

Past 5 years

Water Quality Monitoring

Monitoring Sites

84

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

27K

26,894 total readings

Most Measured

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

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, 6:30 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

0%

Well below typical

Primary Streamgage

Nueces Rv at Calallen, TX

USGS site
08211500
Drainage area
16,684 sq mi
Long-term mean
359 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 Nueces 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 Nueces County, Texas?
Nueces County, Texas has a drinking-water quality grade of C with a score of 55.5/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 37 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 Nueces County?
Nueces County has 37 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 Nueces County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 26,894 measurements from 84 monitoring sites in Nueces County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Microbiological, Physical, Inorganics, Major, Non-metals. 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 Nueces County right now?
Nueces County's primary USGS streamgage on the Nueces Rv has a pipeline snapshot of 0 cubic feet per second — 0% of the long-term mean of 359.16 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 Nueces County water compare to the Texas average?
Nueces County's SDWIS water quality score of 55.5/100 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 Nueces County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Nueces County has a water quality grade of C (55.5/100). 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).
Why does Nueces County have so many water violations?
Nueces County has 37 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 Nueces County rank for water quality in Texas?
Nueces County ranks #50 out of 254 counties in Texas by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 55.5/100, 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

Gray County

Texas

C

55.6

Water score

Moore County

Texas

C

55.2

Water score

Archer County

Texas

C

55.0

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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