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County water report

La Crosse County Water Report

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

Water grade

C

Water score

61.5

State rank

#10

of 71

Health violations

5

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

8.9%

247 water bodies assessed

Monitoring sites

44

11,521 recent measurements

Live streamflow

69%

BLACK RIVER NEAR GALESVILLE, WI

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for La Crosse County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

C

Score: 61.5 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

5

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

9% impaired

247 bodies assessed

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

69% of mean

BLACK RIVER NEAR GALESVILLE, WI

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

44

11,521 recent readings

Source: EPA SDWIS · Safe Drinking Water Information System

Drinking Water Compliance

Compliance grade

C

Based on EPA SDWIS compliance history.

Water score

Higher scores indicate cleaner recent compliance records.

61.5/100

Health violations

5

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

5.4

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding La Crosse County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

La Crosse County's drinking water earned a C grade, scoring 61.5 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.

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 — 8.9% — of assessed waterways are impaired (22 of 247 water bodies) across La Crosse County's watersheds. The leading impairment causes are phosphorus, total and total suspended solids (tss). 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 BLACK RIVER at 1.3k cfs — running somewhat below its historical average at 69% 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. La Crosse County has moderate coverage with 44 active monitoring sites with 11,521 recent measurements on record. Predominant monitoring categories include organics, pesticide and physical. 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 La Crosse County

Water Verdict

La Crosse County, Wisconsin receives a fair water quality assessment with a grade of C and a score of 61.5 out of 100. The water supply meets baseline federal standards, but there may be periods of elevated contaminant levels or infrastructure concerns worth monitoring. Separately, EPA ATTAINS assessments cover 247 water bodies in the county's watershed, with 8.9% 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 68.8% — worth watching in drier seasons.

Violation Context

EPA SDWIS records for La Crosse County, Wisconsin show 5 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 5.4 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is moderate and suggests recurring water quality challenges. This compliance record sits alongside an unusually deep monitoring archive: 11,521 water-quality results have been logged across the county in the EPA Water Quality Portal over the past five years.

Consumer Guidance

Tap water in La Crosse County meets baseline standards but the compliance record shows room for improvement, with a Grade C rating. La Crosse County's drinking-water compliance score is 61.5 out of 100. The violation rate for La Crosse County is 5.4 per 100,000 people served. Residents who are immunocompromised, pregnant, or have young children may benefit from using an NSF 53-certified filter. Contacting your local utility for the current Consumer Confidence Report will confirm which specific violations were recorded and whether they have been resolved. Phosphorus, Total is the leading impairment cause in La Crosse County's watershed. With 44 active water-quality monitoring sites in La Crosse County, data coverage is strong. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the BLACK RIVER gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

La Crosse County has better water quality than the average county in Wisconsin. Its water score is 22 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 La Crosse County's water environment

Watershed Impairment Causes (EPA ATTAINS)

  • 1

    Phosphorus (excess nutrients)

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

  • 2

    Total Suspended Solids (Tss)

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

  • 3

    Mercury

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

Source: EPA ATTAINS · Reporting cycle 2022

Official EPA Resources for La Crosse County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for La Crosse County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for La Crosse County

Consumer Confidence Reports (WI)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in Wisconsin

Clean Water Act §303(d)

Watershed Health

Impaired Water Bodies

8.9%

22 of 247 assessed

Mostly healthy

Top Impairment Causes

  • 1

    PHOSPHORUS, TOTAL

  • 2

    TOTAL SUSPENDED SOLIDS (TSS)

  • 3

    MERCURY

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

44

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

12K

11,521 total readings

Most Measured

  • Organics, Pesticide
  • Physical
  • Not Assigned

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

1,270cfs

May 14, 7:00 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

69%

Below typical

Primary Streamgage

BLACK RIVER NEAR GALESVILLE, WI

USGS site
05382000
Drainage area
2,080 sq mi
Long-term mean
1,845 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.

Free tool

Estimate Your Water Costs

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 La Crosse 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 La Crosse County, Wisconsin?
La Crosse County, Wisconsin has a drinking-water quality grade of C with a score of 61.5/100, 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 La Crosse County?
La Crosse 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 healthy are the watersheds in La Crosse County?
EPA ATTAINS assessments under Clean Water Act §303(d) indicate 8.9% of La Crosse County's 247 assessed water bodies are classified as impaired (22 impaired). The top reported causes are PHOSPHORUS, TOTAL, TOTAL SUSPENDED SOLIDS (TSS), MERCURY. 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 La Crosse County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 11,521 measurements from 44 monitoring sites in La Crosse County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Organics, Pesticide, Physical, Not Assigned. 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 La Crosse County right now?
La Crosse County's primary USGS streamgage on the BLACK RIVER has a pipeline snapshot of 1,270 cubic feet per second — 69% of the long-term mean of 1,845.21 cfs. Flow is within typical range for this gauge. For the latest gauge feed, visit waterdata.usgs.gov.
How does La Crosse County water compare to the Wisconsin average?
La Crosse County's SDWIS water quality score of 61.5/100 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 La Crosse County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, La Crosse County has a water quality grade of C (61.5/100). This indicates moderate compliance. Some violations have been recorded but overall standards are maintained. 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 La Crosse County have clean drinking water?
La Crosse County has 5 health-based drinking water violations according to EPA records. With a water quality score of 61.5/100 and grade C, 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 La Crosse County rank for water quality in Wisconsin?
La Crosse County ranks #10 out of 71 counties in Wisconsin by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 61.5/100, 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

Sheboygan County

Wisconsin

C

61.2

Water score

Brown County

Wisconsin

B

62.3

Water score

Fond du Lac County

Wisconsin

C

60.4

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.

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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