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Community Water System · PWS TN0000251

Gainesboro Water System

Gainsboro, Tennessee 38562 - drinking water served from surface water sources to 1,596 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

1,596
People served
97
EPA violations
4
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 97 drinking-water violations at Gainesboro Water System, 4% of them health-based - above the Tennessee per-system average.

97
Total EPA violations on record
4%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
1,596
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Gainesboro Water System

Gainesboro Water System is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 1,596 residents in Gainsboro, Tennessee (Jackson County) through 626 service connections. Its water is drawn from surface water sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 97 total violations for this system , of which 4 (4%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 85 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2021.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Chlorine, recorded in 13 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%).

Gainesboro Water System's 97 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
1,596
Total Violations
97
Health-Based Violations
4
Water Source
Surface Water

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Local
Connections
626
County
Jackson
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
2
Monitoring Violations
85
Treatment Tech Violations
2

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Chlorine MR 13 2013
Coliform (TCR) MR 11 2010
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 8 2009
TTHM MR 8 2009
Lead and Copper Rule MR 6 2021
Cadmium MR 4 2011
Chromium MR 4 2011
Selenium MR 4 2011
Barium MR 4 2011
Mercury MR 4 2011
Fluoride MR 4 2011
Arsenic MR 2 2011
CYANIDE MR 2 2011
Nickel MR 2 2011
Beryllium, Total MR 2 2011
Thallium, Total MR 2 2011
Consumer Confidence Rule Other 2 2021
Fluoride MCL 2 1983
Antimony, Total MR 2 2011
Filter Backwash Rule Other 2 2010
Atrazine MR 2 2013
Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule Other 2 2010
Surface Water Treatment Rule TT 2 2010
Asbestos MR 1 1995

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 Gainesboro 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 TN0000251 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 Gainesboro 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
2021 Lead and Copper Rule MR 6 SDWIS / TN0000251 / 5000
2021 Consumer Confidence Rule Other 2 SDWIS / TN0000251 / 7000
2013 Chlorine MR 13 SDWIS / TN0000251 / 0999
2013 Atrazine MR 2 SDWIS / TN0000251 / 2050
2011 Cadmium MR 4 SDWIS / TN0000251 / 1015
2011 Chromium MR 4 SDWIS / TN0000251 / 1020
2011 Selenium MR 4 SDWIS / TN0000251 / 1045
2011 Barium MR 4 SDWIS / TN0000251 / 1010
2011 Mercury MR 4 SDWIS / TN0000251 / 1035
2011 Fluoride MR 4 SDWIS / TN0000251 / 1025
2011 Arsenic MR 2 SDWIS / TN0000251 / 1005
2011 CYANIDE MR 2 SDWIS / TN0000251 / 1024
2011 Nickel MR 2 SDWIS / TN0000251 / 1036
2011 Beryllium, Total MR 2 SDWIS / TN0000251 / 1075
2011 Thallium, Total MR 2 SDWIS / TN0000251 / 1085

How Gainesboro Water System Compares

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

Metric Gainesboro Water System Tennessee avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 97 56.8 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 4 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 1,596 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 Gainesboro Water System water safe to drink? ▼
Gainesboro Water System (PWS ID: TN0000251) has 97 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 1,596 people using Surface Water sources.
How many people does Gainesboro Water System serve? ▼
Gainesboro Water System serves 1,596 people in Gainsboro, Tennessee. It is a Local-owned system using Surface Water water sources with 626 service connections.
What type of violations does Gainesboro Water System have? ▼
Gainesboro Water System has 97 total violations: 4 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 85 monitoring/reporting violations, and 2 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Gainesboro Water System water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Gainesboro Water System under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Gainesboro Water System use? ▼
Gainesboro 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.