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EPA SDWIS

Fayette County Water Quality

Fayette County, West Virginia

Water Grade

F

Water Score

27.0

Violations

30

State Rank

#26

of 54 (1 = best)

EPA SDWIS Compliance

Drinking Water Quality

Water Quality Grade

F

Based on EPA compliance history and violation data

Water Score

27/100

Higher = better quality

Health Violations

30

Health-based violations

Violation Rate

80.0%

Systems with violations

Water Advisory: Fayette County

Water Verdict

Fayette County receives a poor water quality assessment with a grade of F and a score of 27.0 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.

Violation Context

Fayette County has recorded 30 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 80.0 violations per 1,000 residents, this rate is high and signals significant water quality management issues.

Consumer Guidance

Residents of Fayette County are advised to use filtered or bottled water for drinking and cooking until water quality improves. A reverse-osmosis or activated-carbon filter certified to remove the contaminants listed in the utility's Consumer Confidence Report is recommended. With 30 recorded health violations, staying informed about utility communications and boil-water notices is especially important. For long-term peace of mind, request your utility's latest Consumer Confidence Report and consider independent water testing if you have specific health concerns.

Regional Context

Fayette County has poorer water quality than the average county in West Virginia. Its water score is 8.2 points lower than the state average, suggesting more challenges with contamination control or infrastructure than neighboring counties.

Clean Water Act §303(d)

Watershed Health

Impaired Water Bodies

0.0%

0 of 32 assessed

Mostly healthy

Top Impairment Causes

No specific impairment causes reported for this county's assessed water bodies.

Source: EPA ATTAINS · Reporting cycle 2022

Impairment is determined under the Clean Water Act §303(d): a water body is impaired when it fails to meet state-defined quality standards for designated uses (drinking, recreation, aquatic life). Assessment coverage varies by state — counties without assessed water bodies are not shown.

Past 5 years

Water Quality Monitoring

Monitoring Sites

93

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

4.6K

4,645 total readings

Most Measured

  • Physical
  • Biological, Counts
  • Microbiological

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

3,260cfs

May 14, 7:00 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

26%

Well below typical

Primary Streamgage

KANAWHA RIVER AT KANAWHA FALLS, WV

USGS site
03193000
Drainage area
8,385 sq mi
Long-term mean
12.4K 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; "% of typical" compares the latest reading against that average.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the water quality in Fayette County, West Virginia?
Fayette County, West Virginia has a drinking-water quality grade of F with a score of 27.0/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 30 health-based drinking water violations over the past 5 years. Watershed health, monitoring records, and live streamflow are reported separately on this page.
Are there any water violations in Fayette County?
Fayette County has 30 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 healthy are the watersheds in Fayette County?
EPA ATTAINS assessments under Clean Water Act §303(d) indicate 0.0% of Fayette County's 32 assessed water bodies are classified as impaired (0 impaired). Impairment means the water body fails to meet state quality standards for at least one designated use — drinking water source, recreation, aquatic life, or fish consumption. Note: watershed impairment doesn't always translate to tap-water issues; treatment plants can remove most regulated contaminants.
How much water-quality monitoring happens in Fayette County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 4,645 measurements from 93 monitoring sites in Fayette County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Physical, Biological, Counts, Microbiological. 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 Fayette County right now?
Fayette County's primary USGS streamgage on the KANAWHA RIVER is currently reading 3,260 cubic feet per second — 26% of the long-term mean of 12,356.34 cfs. This is well below typical — often a signal of drought stress on source water. For genuine real-time data, visit waterdata.usgs.gov.
How does Fayette County water compare to the West Virginia average?
Fayette County's SDWIS water quality score of 27.0/100 is lower than the West Virginia state average of 35.2. The average water quality grade across West Virginia is F, based on data from 54 counties with available SDWIS data.
Is tap water safe to drink in Fayette County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Fayette County has a water quality grade of F (27.0/100). 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).
Why does Fayette County have so many water violations?
Fayette County has 30 health-based drinking water violations on record from the EPA SDWIS database. A higher violation count can result from aging infrastructure, underfunded water utilities, agricultural runoff contamination, or industrial pollution. Counties with more water systems may also see more violations simply due to scale. Residents concerned about water quality should consider independent water testing and home filtration systems.
How does Fayette County rank for water quality in West Virginia?
Fayette County ranks #26 out of 54 counties in West Virginia by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 27.0/100, 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

Clay County

West Virginia

F

28.0

Water score

Barbour County

West Virginia

F

25.7

Water score

Wayne County

West Virginia

F

25.5

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.

Watershed health and impaired-waterway data from the EPA ATTAINS Clean Water Act §303(d) assessments — state-reported, EPA-finalized.

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 Logan Johnson, Founder & Data EditorUpdated Reviewed by Logan Johnson, Founder & Data Editor

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