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Community Water System · PWS TN0000383

Rocky Top Water Dept

Rocky Top, Tennessee 37769 - drinking water served from surface water sources to 1,963 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

1,963
People served
96
EPA violations
0
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 96 drinking-water violations at Rocky Top Water Dept - above the Tennessee per-system average.

96
Total EPA violations on record
0%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
1,963
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Rocky Top Water Dept

Rocky Top Water Dept is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 1,963 residents in Rocky Top, Tennessee (Anderson County) through 808 service connections. Its water is drawn from surface water sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 96 total violations for this system , of which 0 (0%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 88 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 Coliform (TCR), recorded in 33 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%).

Rocky Top Water Dept's 96 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
1,963
Total Violations
96
Health-Based Violations
0
Water Source
Surface Water

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Local
Connections
808
County
Anderson
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
0
Monitoring Violations
88
Treatment Tech Violations
0

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Coliform (TCR) MR 33 2015
Chlorine MR 14 2014
TTHM MR 11 2011
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 11 2011
Consumer Confidence Rule Other 6 2021
Asbestos MR 4 2011
Stage 2 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule MR 3 2010
Lead and Copper Rule MR 3 1994
Cadmium MR 1 1979
Nitrate MR 1 1979
Selenium MR 1 1979
Fluoride MR 1 1979
Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U MR 1 1980
Chromium MR 1 1979
Arsenic MR 1 1979
Barium MR 1 1979
Mercury MR 1 1979

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 Rocky Top Water Dept.

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 TN0000383 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 Rocky Top Water Dept 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 Consumer Confidence Rule Other 6 SDWIS / TN0000383 / 7000
2015 Coliform (TCR) MR 33 SDWIS / TN0000383 / 3100
2014 Chlorine MR 14 SDWIS / TN0000383 / 0999
2011 TTHM MR 11 SDWIS / TN0000383 / 2950
2011 Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 11 SDWIS / TN0000383 / 2456
2011 Asbestos MR 4 SDWIS / TN0000383 / 1094
2010 Stage 2 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule MR 3 SDWIS / TN0000383 / 0600
1994 Lead and Copper Rule MR 3 SDWIS / TN0000383 / 5000
1980 Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U MR 1 SDWIS / TN0000383 / 4000
1979 Cadmium MR 1 SDWIS / TN0000383 / 1015
1979 Nitrate MR 1 SDWIS / TN0000383 / 1040
1979 Selenium MR 1 SDWIS / TN0000383 / 1045
1979 Fluoride MR 1 SDWIS / TN0000383 / 1025
1979 Chromium MR 1 SDWIS / TN0000383 / 1020
1979 Arsenic MR 1 SDWIS / TN0000383 / 1005

How Rocky Top Water Dept Compares

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

Metric Rocky Top Water Dept Tennessee avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 96 56.8 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 0 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 1,963 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 Rocky Top Water Dept water safe to drink? ▼
Rocky Top Water Dept (PWS ID: TN0000383) has 96 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 1,963 people using Surface Water sources.
How many people does Rocky Top Water Dept serve? ▼
Rocky Top Water Dept serves 1,963 people in Rocky Top, Tennessee. It is a Local-owned system using Surface Water water sources with 808 service connections.
What type of violations does Rocky Top Water Dept have? ▼
Rocky Top Water Dept has 96 total violations: 0 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 88 monitoring/reporting violations, and 0 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Rocky Top Water Dept water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Rocky Top Water Dept under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Rocky Top Water Dept use? ▼
Rocky Top Water Dept 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.