County water report

Ward County Water Report

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

Water grade

Water score

56.8

State rank

#44

of 254

Health violations

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

Not reported

EPA ATTAINS coverage varies by state

Monitoring sites

262 recent measurements

Live streamflow

41%

Pecos Rv at RR 1776 nr Grandfalls, TX

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Ward County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

Score: 56.8 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

Not reported

Coverage varies by state

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

41% of mean

Pecos Rv at RR 1776 nr Grandfalls, TX

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

262 recent readings

Source: EPA SDWIS · Safe Drinking Water Information System

Drinking Water Compliance

Compliance grade

Based on EPA SDWIS compliance history.

Water score

Higher scores indicate cleaner recent compliance records.

56.8/100

Health violations

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

9.0

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Data center water stress

Ward County has 1 facility in the DCWSI dataset.

ByCounty's DCWSI ranks this county #1363 nationally by combining its water score with mapped data center density.

DCWSI

34.1

0-100 index

Facility count

0.0 density percentile

Discharge estimate

Not reported

EPA CWA fields where available

Water vs median

+6.8

Compared with US county median

Named operators

IONIC Digital

Mapped facilities

IONIC Digital Cedarvale
IONIC Digital
OSM

See the Ward County data-center report Review methodology

Data Center Water Budget Calculator

Estimate daily water use for a hypothetical facility in Ward County.

Facility size: 100 MW

1 MW1,000 MW

Cooling type

Utilization: 70%

40%100%

799K gallons/dayData Unavailable

County-level industrial water use data is unavailable for this county. Contact the county water authority directly for industrial withdrawal capacity.

Based on USGS 2020 water-use data and EPA-standard cooling intensity constants. Not a substitute for site-specific water rights analysis.

Editorial analysis

Understanding Ward County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Ward County's drinking water earned a C grade, scoring 56.8 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 2026-05-14T13:45:00.000-05:00) puts Pecos Rv at 1.0 cfs — well below its long-term average at 41% 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. Ward County has limited coverage with 1 active monitoring site with 262 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 Ward County

Water Verdict

Ward County receives a fair water quality assessment with a grade of C and a score of 56.8 out of 100. The water supply meets baseline federal standards, but there may be periods of elevated contaminant levels or infrastructure concerns worth monitoring.

Violation Context

Ward County has recorded 1 health-based violation, meaning the water system experienced at least one exceedance of federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements. At 9.0 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is high and signals significant water quality management issues.

Consumer Guidance

Tap water in Ward County meets baseline standards but the compliance record shows room for improvement, with a Grade C rating. Ward County's drinking-water compliance score is 56.8 out of 100. The violation rate for Ward County is 9.0 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. There is 1 active water-quality monitoring site in Ward County. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the Pecos Rv gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Ward County has better water quality than the average county in Texas. Its water score is 26.4 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 Ward County's water environment

Official EPA Resources for Ward County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Ward County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Ward County

Consumer Confidence Reports (TX)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in Texas

Past 5 years

Water Quality Monitoring

Monitoring Sites

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

262

262 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

1.04cfs

May 14, 6:45 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

41%

Well below typical

Primary Streamgage

Pecos Rv at RR 1776 nr Grandfalls, TX

USGS site: 08437710
Drainage area: 34,740 sq mi
Long-term mean: 2.56 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

Household size

3 people · ~225 gal/day

Filter type

Annual Total

$558

Monthly

$47

Water Bill

$558/yr

Filter Cost

$0/yr

Safety Grade for Ward 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.

Try the full calculator →

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the water quality in Ward County, Texas?

Ward County, Texas has a drinking-water quality grade of C with a score of 56.8/100, 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 Ward County?

Ward 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 Ward County?

EPA's Water Quality Portal records 262 measurements from 1 monitoring sites in Ward 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 Ward County right now?

Ward County's primary USGS streamgage on the Pecos Rv has a pipeline snapshot of 1.04 cubic feet per second — 41% of the long-term mean of 2.56 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 Ward County water compare to the Texas average?

Ward County's SDWIS water quality score of 56.8/100 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 Ward County?

Based on EPA SDWIS data, Ward County has a water quality grade of C (56.8/100). 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 Ward County have clean drinking water?

Ward County has 1 health-based drinking water violation according to EPA records. With a water quality score of 56.8/100 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 Ward County rank for water quality in Texas?

Ward County ranks #44 out of 254 counties in Texas by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 56.8/100, 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

Donley County

Texas

56.8

Water score

Wood County

Texas

56.8

Water score

Atascosa County

Texas

56.9

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 May 14, 2026Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor

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