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County water report

Douglas County Water Report

Drinking-water compliance, watershed health, monitoring records, and river conditions for Douglas County, Wisconsin.

Water grade

F

Water score

33.2

State rank

#43

of 71

Health violations

14

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

3.3%

1,012 water bodies assessed

Monitoring sites

139

64,846 recent measurements

Live streamflow

65%

NEMADJI RIVER NEAR SOUTH SUPERIOR, WI

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Douglas County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

F

Score: 33.2 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

14

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

3% impaired

1,012 bodies assessed

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

65% of mean

NEMADJI RIVER NEAR SOUTH SUPERIOR, WI

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

139

64,846 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.

33.2/100

Health violations

14

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

52.8

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding Douglas County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Douglas County's water systems carry a failing grade, scoring 33.2 out of 100. Over the past five years, EPA SDWIS records 14 health-based violations — a pattern that public water utilities are required to disclose and correct.

Watershed Conditions

EPA ATTAINS

Under the Clean Water Act §303(d), EPA ATTAINS tracks whether waterways meet quality standards for drinking, recreation, and aquatic life (reporting cycle: 2022). A small share — 3.3% — of assessed waterways are impaired (33 of 1,012 water bodies) across Douglas County's watersheds. The leading impairment causes are escherichia coli (e. coli) and mercury. Impairment does not mean tap water is unsafe — it measures ambient waterway conditions upstream of treatment, not finished drinking water.

River & Streamflow Status

USGS NWIS

USGS NWIS gauge data (as of 2026-05-14T14:00:00.000-05:00) puts NEMADJI RIVER at 254.0 cfs — running somewhat below its historical average at 65% of mean. 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. Douglas County has extensive coverage with 139 active monitoring sites with 64,846 recent measurements on record. Predominant monitoring categories include physical and nutrient. 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 Douglas County

Water Verdict

Douglas County, Wisconsin receives a poor water quality assessment with a grade of F and a score of 33.2 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. Separately, EPA ATTAINS assessments cover 1,012 water bodies in the county's watershed, with 3.3% listed as impaired under the Clean Water Act — a source-water measure that is tracked independently of tap-water compliance. At the most recent USGS reading, local streamflow was below its historical mean at 65.2% — worth watching in drier seasons.

Violation Context

EPA SDWIS records for Douglas County, Wisconsin show 14 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 52.8 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: 64,846 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 Douglas County is rated Grade F, reflecting significant health-based violations in the recent reporting period. Douglas County's drinking-water compliance score is 33.2 out of 100. The violation rate for Douglas County is 52.8 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. E. coli is the leading impairment cause in Douglas County's watershed. With 139 active water-quality monitoring sites in Douglas County, data coverage is strong. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the NEMADJI RIVER gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Douglas County has poorer water quality than the average county in Wisconsin. Its water score is 6.3 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 Douglas County's water environment

Watershed Impairment Causes (EPA ATTAINS)

  • 1

    E. coli (bacteria)

    Impairment cause per EPA Clean Water Act §303(d) assessment

  • 2

    Mercury

    Impairment cause per EPA Clean Water Act §303(d) assessment

  • 3

    Cause Unknown

    Impairment cause per EPA Clean Water Act §303(d) assessment

Source: EPA ATTAINS · Reporting cycle 2022

Official EPA Resources for Douglas County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Douglas County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Douglas County

Consumer Confidence Reports (WI)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in Wisconsin

Clean Water Act §303(d)

Watershed Health

Impaired Water Bodies

3.3%

33 of 1,012 assessed

Mostly healthy

Top Impairment Causes

  • 1

    ESCHERICHIA COLI (E. COLI)

  • 2

    MERCURY

  • 3

    CAUSE UNKNOWN

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

139

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

65K

64,846 total readings

Most Measured

  • Physical
  • Nutrient
  • Biological, Counts

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

254cfs

May 14, 7:00 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

65%

Below typical

Primary Streamgage

NEMADJI RIVER NEAR SOUTH SUPERIOR, WI

USGS site
04024430
Drainage area
420 sq mi
Long-term mean
390 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

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Annual Total

$558

Monthly

$47

Water Bill

$558/yr

Filter Cost

$0/yr

Safety Grade for Douglas 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.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the water quality in Douglas County, Wisconsin?
Douglas County, Wisconsin has a drinking-water quality grade of F with a score of 33.2/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 14 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 Douglas County?
Douglas County has 14 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 Douglas County?
EPA ATTAINS assessments under Clean Water Act §303(d) indicate 3.3% of Douglas County's 1,012 assessed water bodies are classified as impaired (33 impaired). The top reported causes are ESCHERICHIA COLI (E. COLI), MERCURY, CAUSE UNKNOWN. 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 Douglas County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 64,846 measurements from 139 monitoring sites in Douglas County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Physical, Nutrient, Biological, Counts. 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 Douglas County right now?
Douglas County's primary USGS streamgage on the NEMADJI RIVER has a pipeline snapshot of 254 cubic feet per second — 65% of the long-term mean of 389.53 cfs. Flow is within typical range for this gauge. For the latest gauge feed, visit waterdata.usgs.gov.
How does Douglas County water compare to the Wisconsin average?
Douglas County's SDWIS water quality score of 33.2/100 is lower than the Wisconsin state average of 39.5. The average water quality grade across Wisconsin is F, based on data from 71 counties with available SDWIS data.
Is tap water safe to drink in Douglas County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Douglas County has a water quality grade of F (33.2/100). 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 Douglas County have so many water violations?
Douglas County has 14 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 Douglas County rank for water quality in Wisconsin?
Douglas County ranks #43 out of 71 counties in Wisconsin by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 33.2/100, 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

Marinette County

Wisconsin

F

33.3

Water score

Price County

Wisconsin

F

32.8

Water score

Richland County

Wisconsin

F

32.2

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 and 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 Evan Brooks, Data EditorUpdated Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor

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