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Community Water System · PWS TN0000278

Griffith Creek U.d.

Whitwell, Tennessee 37397 - drinking water served from surface water sources to 1,104 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

1,104
People served
114
EPA violations
53
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 114 drinking-water violations at Griffith Creek U.d., 46% of them health-based - above the Tennessee per-system average.

114
Total EPA violations on record
46%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
1,104
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Griffith Creek U.d.

Griffith Creek U.d. is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 1,104 residents in Whitwell, Tennessee (Marion County) through 445 service connections. Its water is drawn from surface water sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 114 total violations for this system , of which 53 (46%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 47 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2019.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is TTHM, recorded in 49 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%).

Griffith Creek U.d.'s 114 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
1,104
Total Violations
114
Health-Based Violations
53
Water Source
Surface Water

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Local
Connections
445
County
Marion
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
53
Monitoring Violations
47
Treatment Tech Violations
0

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
TTHM MCL 49 2008
Coliform (TCR) MR 29 2015
TTHM MR 8 2019
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 8 2019
Consumer Confidence Rule Other 5 2017
Coliform (TCR) MCL 4 2004
Chlorine MR 2 2015
Public Notice Other 1 2016

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 Griffith Creek U.d..

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 TN0000278 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 Griffith Creek U.d. 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
2019 TTHM MR 8 SDWIS / TN0000278 / 2950
2019 Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 8 SDWIS / TN0000278 / 2456
2017 Consumer Confidence Rule Other 5 SDWIS / TN0000278 / 7000
2016 Public Notice Other 1 SDWIS / TN0000278 / 7500
2015 Coliform (TCR) MR 29 SDWIS / TN0000278 / 3100
2015 Chlorine MR 2 SDWIS / TN0000278 / 0999
2008 TTHM MCL 49 SDWIS / TN0000278 / 2950
2004 Coliform (TCR) MCL 4 SDWIS / TN0000278 / 3100

How Griffith Creek U.d. Compares

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

Metric Griffith Creek U.d. Tennessee avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 114 56.8 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 53 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 1,104 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 Griffith Creek U.d. water safe to drink? ▼
Griffith Creek U.d. (PWS ID: TN0000278) has 114 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 1,104 people using Surface Water sources.
How many people does Griffith Creek U.d. serve? ▼
Griffith Creek U.d. serves 1,104 people in Whitwell, Tennessee. It is a Local-owned system using Surface Water water sources with 445 service connections.
What type of violations does Griffith Creek U.d. have? ▼
Griffith Creek U.d. has 114 total violations: 53 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 47 monitoring/reporting violations, and 0 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Griffith Creek U.d. water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Griffith Creek U.d. under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Griffith Creek U.d. use? ▼
Griffith Creek U.d. 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.