waterbycounty

County water report

Carbon County Water Report

Drinking-water compliance, watershed health, monitoring records, and river conditions for Carbon County, Utah.

Water grade

C

Water score

55.4

State rank

#11

of 29

Health violations

2

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

Not reported

EPA ATTAINS coverage varies by state

Monitoring sites

37

11,162 recent measurements

Live streamflow

No gauge

PRICE RIVER AT RIDGE ROAD NEAR WELLINGTON, UT

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Carbon County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

C

Score: 55.4 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

2

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

Not reported

Coverage varies by state

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

No gauge

PRICE RIVER AT RIDGE ROAD NEAR WELLINGTON, UT

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

37

11,162 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.

55.4/100

Health violations

2

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

10.1

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding Carbon County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Carbon County's drinking water earned a C grade, scoring 55.4 out of 100. Over the past five years, EPA SDWIS records 2 health-based violations — a small cluster that warrants attention.

Monitoring Network

EPA WQP

EPA's Water Quality Portal (WQP) aggregates monitoring data from federal, state, and tribal agencies. Carbon County has moderate coverage with 37 active monitoring sites with 11,162 recent measurements on record. Predominant monitoring categories include physical and not assigned. 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 Carbon County

Water Verdict

Carbon County receives a fair water quality assessment with a grade of C and a score of 55.4 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

Carbon County has recorded 2 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 10.1 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is high and signals significant water quality management issues.

Consumer Guidance

Tap water in Carbon County meets baseline standards but the compliance record shows room for improvement, with a Grade C rating. Carbon County's drinking-water compliance score is 55.4 out of 100. The violation rate for Carbon County is 10.1 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 37 active water-quality monitoring sites in Carbon County, data coverage is strong. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the PRICE RIVER gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Carbon County has better water quality than the average county in Utah. Its water score is 7.7 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.

Past 5 years

Water Quality Monitoring

Monitoring Sites

37

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

11K

11,162 total readings

Most Measured

  • Physical
  • Not Assigned
  • 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

5.53cfs

May 14, 6:45 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

Long-term average not yet available.

Primary Streamgage

PRICE RIVER AT RIDGE ROAD NEAR WELLINGTON, UT

USGS site
09313980
Drainage area
846 sq mi

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.

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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 Carbon County:DPoor

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 Carbon County, Utah?
Carbon County, Utah has a drinking-water quality grade of C with a score of 55.4/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 2 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 Carbon County?
Carbon County has 2 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 Carbon County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 11,162 measurements from 37 monitoring sites in Carbon County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Physical, Not Assigned, 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 Carbon County right now?
Carbon County's primary USGS streamgage on the PRICE RIVER has a pipeline snapshot of 5.53 cubic feet per second. Flow is within typical range for this gauge. For the latest gauge feed, visit waterdata.usgs.gov.
How does Carbon County water compare to the Utah average?
Carbon County's SDWIS water quality score of 55.4/100 is higher than the Utah state average of 47.7. The average water quality grade across Utah is D, based on data from 29 counties with available SDWIS data.
Is tap water safe to drink in Carbon County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Carbon County has a water quality grade of C (55.4/100). 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 Carbon County have clean drinking water?
Carbon County has 2 health-based drinking water violations according to EPA records. With a water quality score of 55.4/100 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 Carbon County rank for water quality in Utah?
Carbon County ranks #11 out of 29 counties in Utah by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 55.4/100, 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.

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