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County water report

Emery County Water Report

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

Water grade

F

Water score

35.1

State rank

#17

of 29

Health violations

5

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

Not reported

EPA ATTAINS coverage varies by state

Monitoring sites

76

22,331 recent measurements

Live streamflow

168%

GREEN RIVER AT GREEN RIVER, UT

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Emery County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

F

Score: 35.1 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

5

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

Not reported

Coverage varies by state

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

168% of mean

GREEN RIVER AT GREEN RIVER, UT

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

76

22,331 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.

35.1/100

Health violations

5

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

46.6

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding Emery County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Emery County's water systems carry a failing grade, scoring 35.1 out of 100. Over the past five years, EPA SDWIS records 5 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 2026-05-14T13:00:00.000-06:00) puts GREEN RIVER at 9.9k cfs — running significantly above its long-term average at 168% of mean flow. 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. Emery County has extensive coverage with 76 active monitoring sites with 22,331 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 Emery County

Water Verdict

Emery County, Utah receives a poor water quality assessment with a grade of F and a score of 35.1 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. The county's primary USGS gauge drains roughly 44,850 square miles of upstream watershed, giving local source waters a regional footprint. At the most recent USGS reading, local streamflow was running above its historical mean at 168.0%.

Violation Context

EPA SDWIS records for Emery County, Utah show 5 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 46.6 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: 22,331 water-quality results have been logged across the county in the EPA Water Quality Portal over the past five years.

Consumer Guidance

Drinking-water compliance in Emery County is rated Grade F, reflecting significant health-based violations in the recent reporting period. Emery County's drinking-water compliance score is 35.1 out of 100. The violation rate for Emery County is 46.6 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. With 76 active water-quality monitoring sites in Emery County, data coverage is strong. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the GREEN RIVER gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Emery County has poorer water quality than the average county in Utah. Its water score is 12.6 points lower than the state average, suggesting more challenges with contamination control or infrastructure than 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 Emery County's water environment

Official EPA Resources for Emery County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Emery County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Emery County

Consumer Confidence Reports (UT)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in Utah

Past 5 years

Water Quality Monitoring

Monitoring Sites

76

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

22K

22,331 total readings

Most Measured

  • Physical
  • Not Assigned
  • Inorganics, Minor, 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

9,870cfs

May 14, 7:00 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

168%

Well above typical

Primary Streamgage

GREEN RIVER AT GREEN RIVER, UT

USGS site
09315000
Drainage area
44,850 sq mi
Long-term mean
5,874 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.

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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 Emery 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 Emery County, Utah?
Emery County, Utah has a drinking-water quality grade of F with a score of 35.1/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 5 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 Emery County?
Emery County has 5 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 Emery County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 22,331 measurements from 76 monitoring sites in Emery County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Physical, Not Assigned, Inorganics, Minor, 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 Emery County right now?
Emery County's primary USGS streamgage on the GREEN RIVER has a pipeline snapshot of 9,870 cubic feet per second — 168% of the long-term mean of 5,873.69 cfs. This is well above typical — often a signal of recent precipitation or storm runoff. For the latest gauge feed, visit waterdata.usgs.gov.
How does Emery County water compare to the Utah average?
Emery County's SDWIS water quality score of 35.1/100 is lower 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 Emery County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Emery County has a water quality grade of F (35.1/100). 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 Emery County have clean drinking water?
Emery County has 5 health-based drinking water violations according to EPA records. With a water quality score of 35.1/100 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 Emery County rank for water quality in Utah?
Emery County ranks #17 out of 29 counties in Utah by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 35.1/100, 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

Washington County

Utah

F

35.1

Water score

Summit County

Utah

F

34.2

Water score

Kane County

Utah

F

31.6

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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