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Community Water System · PWS TN0000045

Bells Public Utility District

Bells, Tennessee 38006 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 2,610 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

2,610
People served
29
EPA violations
3
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 29 drinking-water violations at Bells Public Utility District, 10% of them health-based - below the Tennessee per-system average.

29
Total EPA violations on record
10%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
2,610
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Bells Public Utility District

Bells Public Utility District is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 2,610 residents in Bells, Tennessee (Crockett County) through 1,048 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 29 total violations for this system , of which 3 (10%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 21 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2023.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U, recorded in 5 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%).

Bells Public Utility District's 29 violations sit below 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
2,610
Total Violations
29
Health-Based Violations
3
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Local
Connections
1,048
County
Crockett
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
3
Monitoring Violations
21
Treatment Tech Violations
0

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U MR 5 2023
Radium-226 MR 4 2023
Chlorine MR 4 2005
Radium-228 MR 4 2023
Coliform (TCR) MR 4 2005
Coliform (TCR) MCL 2 1999
Consumer Confidence Rule Other 2 2017
Cadmium MCL 1 1981

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 Bells Public Utility District.

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 TN0000045 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 Bells Public Utility District 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
2023 Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U MR 5 SDWIS / TN0000045 / 4000
2023 Radium-226 MR 4 SDWIS / TN0000045 / 4020
2023 Radium-228 MR 4 SDWIS / TN0000045 / 4030
2017 Consumer Confidence Rule Other 2 SDWIS / TN0000045 / 7000
2005 Chlorine MR 4 SDWIS / TN0000045 / 0999
2005 Coliform (TCR) MR 4 SDWIS / TN0000045 / 3100
1999 Coliform (TCR) MCL 2 SDWIS / TN0000045 / 3100
1981 Cadmium MCL 1 SDWIS / TN0000045 / 1015

How Bells Public Utility District Compares

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

Metric Bells Public Utility District Tennessee avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 29 56.8 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 3 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 2,610 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 Bells Public Utility District water safe to drink? ▼
Bells Public Utility District (PWS ID: TN0000045) has 29 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 2,610 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Bells Public Utility District serve? ▼
Bells Public Utility District serves 2,610 people in Bells, Tennessee. It is a Local-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 1,048 service connections.
What type of violations does Bells Public Utility District have? ▼
Bells Public Utility District has 29 total violations: 3 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 21 monitoring/reporting violations, and 0 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Bells Public Utility District water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Bells Public Utility District under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Bells Public Utility District use? ▼
Bells Public Utility District uses Groundwater 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.