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EPA SDWIS

Kenosha County Water Quality

Kenosha County, Wisconsin

Water Grade

D

Water Score

49.0

Violations

21

State Rank

#20

of 71 (1 = best)

EPA SDWIS Compliance

Drinking Water Quality

Water Quality Grade

D

Based on EPA compliance history and violation data

Water Score

49/100

Higher = better quality

Health Violations

21

Health-based violations

Violation Rate

17.8%

Systems with violations

Water Advisory: Kenosha County

Water Verdict

Kenosha County receives a below-average water quality assessment with a grade of D and a score of 49.0 out of 100. Residents should review their utility's Consumer Confidence Report and may want to consider additional water filtration for drinking.

Violation Context

Kenosha County has recorded 21 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 17.8 violations per 1,000 residents, this rate is high and signals significant water quality management issues.

Consumer Guidance

Residents of Kenosha 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 21 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

Kenosha County has better water quality than the average county in Wisconsin. Its water score is 9.5 points higher than the state average, indicating stronger water system performance relative to neighboring counties.

Clean Water Act §303(d)

Watershed Health

Impaired Water Bodies

3.0%

17 of 570 assessed

Mostly healthy

Top Impairment Causes

  • 1

    PHOSPHORUS, TOTAL

  • 2

    ESCHERICHIA COLI (E. COLI)

  • 3

    CHLORIDE

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

38

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

12K

12,239 total readings

Most Measured

  • Physical
  • Microbiological
  • 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

554cfs

May 14, 7:00 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

77%

Below typical

Primary Streamgage

FOX RIVER NEAR NEW MUNSTER, WI

USGS site
05545750
Drainage area
811 sq mi
Long-term mean
722 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 Kenosha County, Wisconsin?
Kenosha County, Wisconsin has a drinking-water quality grade of D with a score of 49.0/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 21 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 Kenosha County?
Kenosha County has 21 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 Kenosha County?
EPA ATTAINS assessments under Clean Water Act §303(d) indicate 3.0% of Kenosha County's 570 assessed water bodies are classified as impaired (17 impaired). The top reported causes are PHOSPHORUS, TOTAL, ESCHERICHIA COLI (E. COLI), CHLORIDE. 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 Kenosha County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 12,239 measurements from 38 monitoring sites in Kenosha County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Physical, Microbiological, 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 Kenosha County right now?
Kenosha County's primary USGS streamgage on the FOX RIVER is currently reading 554 cubic feet per second — 77% of the long-term mean of 722.21 cfs. Flow is within typical range for this gauge. For genuine real-time data, visit waterdata.usgs.gov.
How does Kenosha County water compare to the Wisconsin average?
Kenosha County's SDWIS water quality score of 49.0/100 is higher 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 Kenosha County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Kenosha County has a water quality grade of D (49.0/100). 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 Kenosha County have so many water violations?
Kenosha County has 21 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 Kenosha County rank for water quality in Wisconsin?
Kenosha County ranks #20 out of 71 counties in Wisconsin by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 49.0/100, 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

Dunn County

Wisconsin

D

48.2

Water score

Pierce County

Wisconsin

D

48.2

Water score

Winnebago County

Wisconsin

D

47.9

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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