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San Saba County Water Report

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

Water grade

C

Water score

51.2

State rank

#57

of 254

Health violations

1

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

Not reported

EPA ATTAINS coverage varies by state

Monitoring sites

4

481 recent measurements

Live streamflow

86%

San Saba Rv at San Saba, TX

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for San Saba County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

C

Score: 51.2 / 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

86% of mean

San Saba Rv at San Saba, TX

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

4

481 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.

51.2/100

Health violations

1

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

14.5

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding San Saba County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

San Saba County's drinking water earned a C grade, scoring 51.2 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 138.0 cfs — running somewhat below its historical average at 86% of mean. 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. San Saba County has limited coverage with 4 active monitoring sites with 481 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 San Saba County

Water Verdict

San Saba County, Texas receives a below-average water quality assessment with a grade of C and a score of 51.2 out of 100. Residents should review their utility's Consumer Confidence Report and may want to consider additional water filtration for drinking. The county's primary USGS gauge drains roughly 3,046 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 86.1% — worth watching in drier seasons.

Violation Context

EPA SDWIS records for San Saba County, Texas show 1 health-based violation, meaning a water system experienced at least one exceedance of federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements. At 14.5 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is high and signals significant water quality management issues. Independent monitoring is comparatively sparse here — 481 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

Tap water in San Saba County meets baseline standards but the compliance record shows room for improvement, with a Grade C rating. San Saba County's drinking-water compliance score is 51.2 out of 100. The violation rate for San Saba County is 14.5 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. There are 4 active water-quality monitoring sites in San Saba County. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the San Saba Rv gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

San Saba County has better water quality than the average county in Texas. Its water score is 20.8 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 San Saba County's water environment

Official EPA Resources for San Saba County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for San Saba County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for San Saba County

Consumer Confidence Reports (TX)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in Texas

Past 5 years

Water Quality Monitoring

Monitoring Sites

4

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

481

481 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

138cfs

May 14, 7:10 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

86%

Below typical

Primary Streamgage

San Saba Rv at San Saba, TX

USGS site
08146000
Drainage area
3,046 sq mi
Long-term mean
160 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 San Saba 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 San Saba County, Texas?
San Saba County, Texas has a drinking-water quality grade of C with a score of 51.2/100, 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 San Saba County?
San Saba 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 San Saba County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 481 measurements from 4 monitoring sites in San Saba 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 San Saba County right now?
San Saba County's primary USGS streamgage on the San Saba Rv has a pipeline snapshot of 138 cubic feet per second — 86% of the long-term mean of 160.31 cfs. Flow is within typical range for this gauge. For the latest gauge feed, visit waterdata.usgs.gov.
How does San Saba County water compare to the Texas average?
San Saba County's SDWIS water quality score of 51.2/100 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 San Saba County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, San Saba County has a water quality grade of C (51.2/100). 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 San Saba County have clean drinking water?
San Saba County has 1 health-based drinking water violation according to EPA records. With a water quality score of 51.2/100 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 San Saba County rank for water quality in Texas?
San Saba County ranks #57 out of 254 counties in Texas by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 51.2/100, 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

Hopkins County

Texas

D

50.5

Water score

Brazos County

Texas

C

52.2

Water score

Nacogdoches County

Texas

C

52.5

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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