States → Tennessee
State profile · EPA SDWIS + UCMR5
Tennessee Drinking Water Quality
762 public water systems serve 7,934,203 people across Tennessee, with every Safe Drinking Water Act violation and UCMR5 PFAS result on record.
- 762
- Water systems
- 43,318
- Total violations
- 94%
- Systems w/ a violation
- 33.6%
- PFAS detection rate
The verdict
Across Tennessee, 716 of 762 water systems (94.0%) carry at least one EPA violation, and 93 of 277 UCMR5-tested systems show PFAS.
- 43,318
- Total EPA violations on record
- 22%
- Health-based (MCL / treatment)
- 94.0%
- Systems with ≥1 violation
- 33.6%
- UCMR5 PFAS detection rate
Water Systems
762
Total Violations
43,318
Violation Rate
94%
PFAS Detection
33.6%
93 of 277 tested
Violation Composition
How Tennessee's 43,318 violations break down by type, per EPA SDWIS classification.
Health-based (9,414) Monitoring/Reporting (33,904)
| Metric | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Public water systems | 762 | - |
| Population served | 7,934,203 | - |
| Total violations | 43,318 | 100% |
| Health-based violations | 9,414 | 21.7% |
| Systems with violations | 716 | 94.0% |
| PFAS detection rate | 93 of 277 | 33.6% |
Health-based violations indicate the contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) or treatment-technique requirement. Monitoring/reporting violations indicate procedural issues (missed tests, late reports) - not necessarily a contamination event.
Largest Water Systems
Metro Water Services
Nashville, TN · 778,153 served
Memphis Light, Gas, & Water
Memphis, TN · 659,500 served
Knoxville Utilities Board - Kub
Knoxville, TN · 254,671 served
Clarksville Water Department
Clarksville, TN · 251,864 served
Consolidated U.d. of Rutherford Co
Murfreesboro, TN · 221,871 served
Tennessee American Water
Chattanooga, TN · 211,499 served
White House Utility District
White House, TN · 130,411 served
First U.d. of Knox County
Knoxville, TN · 115,531 served
Murfreesboro Water Department
Murfreesboro, TN · 111,365 served
Kingsport Water Dept
Kingsport, TN · 106,765 served
Johnson City Water Dept
Johnson City, TN · 105,057 served
Cleveland Utilities
Cleveland, TN · 95,087 served
Jackson Water System
Jackson, TN · 91,111 served
West Wilson Utility District
Mount Juliet, TN · 86,978 served
Columbia Power and Water Systems
Columbia, TN · 84,617 served
Hallsdale-Powell U.d.
Knoxville, TN · 84,315 served
Madison Suburban U.d.
Madison, TN · 81,203 served
West Knox Utility District
Knoxville, TN · 77,825 served
Franklin Water Dept
Franklin, TN · 77,222 served
Hixson Utility District
Hixson, TN · 68,306 served
Most Violations
#1 Red Boiling Springs W.S. Red Boiling Springs
868 #2 Deerfield Water System, LLC Lafollette
746 #3 North Greene Utilities, Inc. Greeneville
517 #4 Tellico Plains Water Dept Tellico Plains
468 #5 Rogersville Water Dept Rogersville
446 #6 Jellico Utilities Authority Jellico
407 #7 Warren County Util Dist #2 McMinnville
395 #8 Old Hickory Wat Co-Union County Maynardville
370 #9 Byrdstown Water Department Byrdstown
360 #10 Bluff City Water Department Bluff City
352 #11 Collinwood Water Dept Collinwood
339 #12 Germantown Water Dept Germantown
333 #13 Limestone Utility Des Peres
332 #14 Aspen Youth Academy Waynesboro
321 #15 Clifton Water Dept Clifton
303 Counties in Tennessee
Davidson
4 systems · 924,319 served
· 394 violations
Shelby
8 systems · 822,834 served
· 604 violations
Knox
9 systems · 601,914 served
· 406 violations
Rutherford
5 systems · 433,004 served
· 394 violations
Hamilton
11 systems · 412,782 served
· 324 violations
Montgomery
7 systems · 344,788 served
· 413 violations
Sumner
6 systems · 298,975 served
· 326 violations
Williamson
7 systems · 250,051 served
· 510 violations
Wilson
7 systems · 209,545 served
· 225 violations
Sullivan
18 systems · 193,299 served
· 1,254 violations
Maury
4 systems · 183,859 served
· 237 violations
Blount
16 systems · 163,777 served
· 325 violations
Washington
2 systems · 138,126 served
· 129 violations
Bradley
3 systems · 116,194 served
· 309 violations
Putnam
9 systems · 101,103 served
· 427 violations
Madison
21 systems · 99,428 served
· 740 violations
Anderson
7 systems · 95,525 served
· 437 violations
Sevier
51 systems · 87,523 served
· 1,240 violations
Hamblen
5 systems · 85,076 served
· 253 violations
Greene
8 systems · 83,050 served
· 720 violations
Dickson
3 systems · 77,294 served
· 205 violations
Cumberland
7 systems · 72,854 served
· 300 violations
Roane
9 systems · 70,455 served
· 623 violations
Coffee
9 systems · 70,359 served
· 443 violations
Tipton
9 systems · 70,188 served
· 300 violations
Warren
3 systems · 67,603 served
· 124 violations
Loudon
4 systems · 65,003 served
· 186 violations
Bedford
5 systems · 64,916 served
· 495 violations
Carter
21 systems · 59,091 served
· 1,095 violations
Robertson
4 systems · 58,643 served
· 298 violations
Showing top 30 of 95 counties.
Drinking Water Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
How many water systems are in Tennessee? ▼
Tennessee has 762 public water systems serving approximately 7,934,203 people. These include community water systems, non-transient non-community systems, and transient non-community systems regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act.
How many drinking water violations are in Tennessee? ▼
Tennessee has 43,318 total drinking water violations on record, with 9,414 classified as health-based violations. 94.0% of water systems in the state have at least one violation.
Has PFAS been found in Tennessee drinking water? ▼
Of 277 water systems tested for PFAS in Tennessee, 93 had PFAS detected, a 33.6% detection rate. PFAS are persistent "forever chemicals" that do not break down in the environment.
What is the violation rate for Tennessee water systems? ▼
Tennessee's violation rate is 94%. This measures the percentage of public water systems that have at least one recorded violation in the EPA SDWIS database, including both health-based and monitoring/reporting violations.
Where does this Tennessee water data come from? ▼
All drinking water data comes from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) and the UCMR5 PFAS monitoring program. SDWIS is the federal database that tracks compliance for all public water systems regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act.
Data Sources & Methodology
Drinking water violation data from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS). PFAS testing data from the UCMR5 monitoring program. SDWIS tracks all public water systems regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Related
Data sourced from EPA SDWIS and UCMR5 PFAS monitoring data. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainWater Editorial
Every figure on PlainWater is rendered directly from EPA SDWIS drinking-water data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on EPA SDWIS data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.