Pocatello
Pocatello, ID water profile — supply sources, drought status, wastewater reuse, and the key water issues facing the city.
pocatello city of
groundwater (wells) · local government · PWSID ID6030043
Below EPA's 15 ppb lead action level at last testing.
Source: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) · 2026 Q1
Pocatello is a small but growing city and the 5th-largest in Idaho, home to roughly 54,441 residents. Pocatello's drinking water comes largely from the same regional sources that serve Idaho: Snake River, Snake River Plain aquifer, and snowpack.
As elsewhere in Idaho, the central challenge is agricultural demand. Intensive irrigation gives Idaho some of the highest per-capita withdrawals in the nation; aquifer recharge is a growing focus.
Idaho reuses an estimated 9% of its treated wastewater and maintains developing reuse programs; Pocatello tracks exceptional drought conditions on the U.S. Drought Monitor scale.
Explore the Idaho profile for statewide context, or dig into the water issues shaping Pocatello below.
Bannock County water quality
Source: EPA SDWIS · 2026 Q1
At a glance
- Population ~54,441 (5th-largest in Idaho)
- Primary sources: Snake River, Snake River Plain aquifer, and snowpack
- Drought: exceptional conditions
- State reuse rate: ~9% of wastewater
Statewide drought history
% of Idaho in severe+ drought (Exceptional (D4) now).
Source: U.S. Drought Monitor
Common questions
Is tap water safe in Pocatello?
Pocatello's largest water system, POCATELLO CITY OF, serves about 58,231 people. EPA records show 1 health-based violation(s) since 2016 and a most-recent 90th-percentile lead level of 2 ppb (EPA action level is 15 ppb). Always check your own provider's annual Consumer Confidence Report.
Where does Pocatello get its water?
POCATELLO CITY OF draws primarily from groundwater (wells), part of Idaho's supply from Snake River, Snake River Plain aquifer, snowpack.
Related water issues
Agricultural Demand
Agriculture accounts for the majority of consumptive water use in the West, making farm efficiency and water markets central to any supply solution.
ExploreGroundwater Depletion
Aquifers from the Central Valley to the Ogallala are being pumped faster than they recharge, causing land subsidence and threatening long-term supply.
ExploreDrought
Much of the American West is in a multi-decade dry period that researchers describe as the most severe in over a millennium, reshaping how communities plan for water.
Explore