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States → Tennessee

Non-Transient Non-Community Water System · PWS TN0000270

Great Smoky Mtns National Park Hq

Gatlinburg, Tennessee 37738 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 3,125 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

3,125
People served
21
EPA violations
4
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 21 drinking-water violations at Great Smoky Mtns National Park Hq, 19% of them health-based - below the Tennessee per-system average.

21
Total EPA violations on record
19%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
3,125
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Great Smoky Mtns National Park Hq

Great Smoky Mtns National Park Hq is a federal-owned non-transient non-community water system that delivers drinking water to 3,125 residents in Gatlinburg, Tennessee (Sevier County) through 20 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 21 total violations for this system , of which 4 (19%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 11 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2009.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Coliform (TCR), recorded in 4 violations (MCL, health-based). 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%).

Great Smoky Mtns National Park Hq's 21 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
3,125
Total Violations
21
Health-Based Violations
4
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Non-Transient Non-Community
Owner Type
Federal
Connections
20
County
Sevier
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
4
Monitoring Violations
11
Treatment Tech Violations
0

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Coliform (TCR) MCL 4 2009
Coliform (TCR) MR 3 2002
Arsenic MR 1 1985
Chromium MR 1 1985
Mercury MR 1 1985
Nitrate MR 1 1985
Barium MR 1 1985
Fluoride MR 1 1985
Cadmium MR 1 1985
Selenium MR 1 1985

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 Great Smoky Mtns National Park Hq.

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 TN0000270 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 Great Smoky Mtns National Park Hq 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
2009 Coliform (TCR) MCL 4 SDWIS / TN0000270 / 3100
2002 Coliform (TCR) MR 3 SDWIS / TN0000270 / 3100
1985 Arsenic MR 1 SDWIS / TN0000270 / 1005
1985 Chromium MR 1 SDWIS / TN0000270 / 1020
1985 Mercury MR 1 SDWIS / TN0000270 / 1035
1985 Nitrate MR 1 SDWIS / TN0000270 / 1040
1985 Barium MR 1 SDWIS / TN0000270 / 1010
1985 Fluoride MR 1 SDWIS / TN0000270 / 1025
1985 Cadmium MR 1 SDWIS / TN0000270 / 1015
1985 Selenium MR 1 SDWIS / TN0000270 / 1045

How Great Smoky Mtns National Park Hq Compares

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

Metric Great Smoky Mtns National Park Hq Tennessee avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 21 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 3,125 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 Great Smoky Mtns National Park Hq water safe to drink? ▼
Great Smoky Mtns National Park Hq (PWS ID: TN0000270) has 21 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 3,125 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Great Smoky Mtns National Park Hq serve? ▼
Great Smoky Mtns National Park Hq serves 3,125 people in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. It is a Federal-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 20 service connections.
What type of violations does Great Smoky Mtns National Park Hq have? ▼
Great Smoky Mtns National Park Hq has 21 total violations: 4 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 11 monitoring/reporting violations, and 0 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Great Smoky Mtns National Park Hq water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Great Smoky Mtns National Park Hq under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Great Smoky Mtns National Park Hq use? ▼
Great Smoky Mtns National Park Hq uses Groundwater as its primary water source. It is classified as a Non-Transient Non-Community Water System, serving the same people for at least 6 months per year.
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.