County water report

Chelan County Water Report

Drinking-water compliance, watershed health, monitoring records, and river conditions for Chelan County, Washington.

Water grade

Water score

68.0

State rank

#13

of 39

Health violations

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

Not reported

EPA ATTAINS coverage varies by state

Monitoring sites

19,596 recent measurements

Live streamflow

No gauge

COLUMBIA RIVER AT ROCKY REACH DAM, WA

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Chelan County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

Score: 68.0 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

Not reported

Coverage varies by state

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

No gauge

COLUMBIA RIVER AT ROCKY REACH DAM, WA

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

19,596 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.

68.0/100

Health violations

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

1.9

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Data center water stress

Chelan County has 3 facilities in the DCWSI dataset.

ByCounty's DCWSI ranks this county #96 nationally by combining its water score with mapped data center density.

DCWSI

65.2

0-100 index

Facility count

61.1 density percentile

Discharge estimate

Not reported

EPA CWA fields where available

Water vs median

+18.0

Compared with US county median

Mapped facilities

EAT12
Facility details limited
OSM
EAT13
Facility details limited
OSM
EAT14
Facility details limited
OSM

See the Chelan County data-center report Review methodology

Data Center Water Budget Calculator

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

Facility size: 100 MW

1 MW1,000 MW

Cooling type

Utilization: 70%

40%100%

799K gallons/dayHigh Impact

Your facility would use 156.5% of this county's industrial water baseline. Verify water rights and long-term drought projections before committing.

156.5% of county industrial baseline

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 Chelan County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Chelan County earns a B grade for drinking water quality, scoring 68.0 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. Chelan County has moderate coverage with 14 active monitoring sites with 19,596 recent measurements on record. Predominant monitoring categories include organics, pesticide 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 Chelan County

Water Verdict

Chelan County receives a fair water quality assessment with a grade of B and a score of 68.0 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

Chelan County has recorded 2 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 1.9 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is relatively low compared to many U.S. counties.

Consumer Guidance

Tap water in Chelan County scores well above average for drinking-water safety. Chelan County's drinking-water compliance score is 68.0 out of 100. With 2 recorded health violations, the water supply is generally reliable. The violation rate for Chelan County is 1.9 per 100,000 people served. Households with infants, pregnant individuals, or immunocompromised members may want to use an NSF 53-certified pitcher filter as a low-cost precaution. With 14 active water-quality monitoring sites in Chelan County, data coverage is strong. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the COLUMBIA RIVER gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Chelan County has better water quality than the average county in Washington. Its water score is 8.7 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.

Contaminants & Resources

Key issues flagged in Chelan County's water environment

Official EPA Resources for Chelan County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Chelan County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Chelan County

Consumer Confidence Reports (WA)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in Washington

Past 5 years

Water Quality Monitoring

Monitoring Sites

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

20K

19,596 total readings

Most Measured

Organics, Pesticide
Not Assigned
Physical

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).

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 Chelan County:C — Moderate

Some violations or watershed impairment detected.

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 Chelan County, Washington?

Chelan County, Washington has a drinking-water quality grade of B with a score of 68.0/100, 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 Chelan County?

Chelan 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 Chelan County?

EPA's Water Quality Portal records 19,596 measurements from 14 monitoring sites in Chelan County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Organics, Pesticide, Not Assigned, Physical. 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.

How does Chelan County water compare to the Washington average?

Chelan County's SDWIS water quality score of 68.0/100 is higher than the Washington state average of 59.3. The average water quality grade across Washington is D, based on data from 39 counties with available SDWIS data.

Is tap water safe to drink in Chelan County?

Based on EPA SDWIS data, Chelan County has a water quality grade of B (68.0/100). This indicates good to excellent water quality with strong SDWIS compliance. 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 Chelan County have clean drinking water?

Chelan County has 2 health-based drinking water violations according to EPA records. With a water quality score of 68.0/100 and grade B, 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 Chelan County rank for water quality in Washington?

Chelan County ranks #13 out of 39 counties in Washington by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 68.0/100, 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

Kitsap County

Washington

67.5

Water score

Clark County

Washington

69.5

Water score

Cowlitz County

Washington

66.4

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.

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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