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Community Water System · PWS TN0000044

Bell Buckle Water System

Bell Buckle, Tennessee 37020 - drinking water served from surface water sources to 2,633 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

2,633
People served
130
EPA violations
5
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 130 drinking-water violations at Bell Buckle Water System, 4% of them health-based - above the Tennessee per-system average.

130
Total EPA violations on record
4%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
2,633
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Bell Buckle Water System

Bell Buckle Water System is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 2,633 residents in Bell Buckle, Tennessee (Bedford County) through 895 service connections. Its water is drawn from surface water sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 130 total violations for this system , of which 5 (4%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 121 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2024.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is TTHM, recorded in 41 violations (MR). This system has not yet been sampled under EPA's UCMR5 PFAS monitoring program, so no PFAS detection data is available here.

Across Tennessee, EPA tracks 762 public water systems serving 7,934,203 people, with 43,318 cumulative violations and 9,414 health-based violations on record. About 94% of systems in the state carry at least one violation, and state-wide the average per system is 56.8 violations. Statewide, 93 of 277 UCMR5-tested systems have reported PFAS detections (33.6%).

Bell Buckle Water System's 130 violations sit above the Tennessee average.

All figures above are sourced directly from EPA SDWIS and UCMR5 public data releases and are updated as EPA publishes new reporting cycles.

Population Served
2,633
Total Violations
130
Health-Based Violations
5
Water Source
Surface Water

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Local
Connections
895
County
Bedford
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
0
Monitoring Violations
121
Treatment Tech Violations
5

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
TTHM MR 41 2011
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 40 2011
Coliform (TCR) MR 30 2007
Lead and Copper Rule MR 6 1996
Chlorine MR 4 2007
Revised Total Coliform Rule TT 3 2023
Lead and Copper Rule TT 2 1994
Consumer Confidence Rule Other 1 2024

Verify This Water System

The figures above are aggregated from EPA's public databases. To verify the underlying records, or to file a complaint, request a Consumer Confidence Report, or check current monitoring status, go directly to the federal and state regulators that enforce the Safe Drinking Water Act for Bell Buckle Water System.

Federal Source of Truth

EPA SDWIS, Federal Reports

EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) holds the federal compliance record for every regulated public water system. Open the system-level report by PWS ID:

View PWS ID TN0000044 on SDWIS

Source: EPA SDWIS Federal Reports Search

State Regulator

Tennessee Drinking Water Authority

Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation, Drinking Water is the primacy agency that licenses and inspects Bell Buckle Water System under EPA-delegated authority.

Open TN regulator portal

Source: Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation, Drinking Water

Violation Timeline

Each row links to the EPA SDWIS public record for verification. Cross-reference the contaminant code on EPA's federal report to see violation dates, return-to-compliance status, and enforcement actions.

Year (latest) Contaminant Category Count EPA Record
2024 Consumer Confidence Rule Other 1 SDWIS / TN0000044 / 7000
2023 Revised Total Coliform Rule TT 3 SDWIS / TN0000044 / 8000
2011 TTHM MR 41 SDWIS / TN0000044 / 2950
2011 Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 40 SDWIS / TN0000044 / 2456
2007 Coliform (TCR) MR 30 SDWIS / TN0000044 / 3100
2007 Chlorine MR 4 SDWIS / TN0000044 / 0999
1996 Lead and Copper Rule MR 6 SDWIS / TN0000044 / 5000
1994 Lead and Copper Rule TT 2 SDWIS / TN0000044 / 5000

How Bell Buckle Water System Compares

Cross-reference this system's record against state averages and the federal MCL framework for context.

Metric Bell Buckle Water System Tennessee avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 130 56.8 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 5 12.4 Indicates a contaminant exceeded a federal MCL
PFAS detection None 33.6% EPA final rule (2024): PFOA/PFOS MCL = 4.0 ppt
Population served 2,633 10,412 Sizing context for compliance burden

Sources: EPA SDWIS and EPA National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (40 CFR Part 141). State averages computed across 762 regulated public water systems in Tennessee.

Federal MCL reference, Safe Drinking Water Act thresholds ▼
Contaminant Federal MCL / Action Level Note
Lead 0 mg/L (Action Level: 0.015 mg/L) Lead and Copper Rule treatment technique
Arsenic 0.010 mg/L (10 ppb) Health-based MCL since 2006
Total Coliform Treatment technique (RTCR) Indicator organism, monitoring trigger
PFOA / PFOS (PFAS) 4.0 ppt each (final 2024 rule) Compliance deadline 2029 (EPA proposed extending to 2031, not yet final as of May 2026)
Nitrate (as N) 10 mg/L Acute health risk for infants

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Bell Buckle Water System water safe to drink? ▼
Bell Buckle Water System (PWS ID: TN0000044) has 130 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 2,633 people using Surface Water sources.
How many people does Bell Buckle Water System serve? ▼
Bell Buckle Water System serves 2,633 people in Bell Buckle, Tennessee. It is a Local-owned system using Surface Water water sources with 895 service connections.
What type of violations does Bell Buckle Water System have? ▼
Bell Buckle Water System has 130 total violations: 5 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 121 monitoring/reporting violations, and 5 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Bell Buckle Water System water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Bell Buckle Water System under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Bell Buckle Water System use? ▼
Bell Buckle Water System uses Surface Water as its primary water source. It is classified as a Community Water System (CWS), serving residential populations year-round.
Where does this data come from? ▼
All data comes from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) and the UCMR5 PFAS monitoring program. SDWIS tracks compliance for all public water systems regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act.
Data Sources: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), Q4 2025. This data is provided for informational purposes only.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

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 system's figures are rendered directly from 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.