PlainWater
States → Tennessee

Community Water System · PWS TN0000480

Brownlow Utility District

Mountain City, Tennessee 37683 - drinking water served from surface water sources to 683 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

683
People served
193
EPA violations
16
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 193 drinking-water violations at Brownlow Utility District, 8% of them health-based - above the Tennessee per-system average.

193
Total EPA violations on record
8%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
683
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Brownlow Utility District

Brownlow Utility District is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 683 residents in Mountain City, Tennessee (Johnson County) through 269 service connections. Its water is drawn from surface water sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 193 total violations for this system , of which 16 (8%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 164 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2024.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Lead and Copper Rule, 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%).

Brownlow Utility District's 193 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
683
Total Violations
193
Health-Based Violations
16
Water Source
Surface Water

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Local
Connections
269
County
Johnson
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
0
Monitoring Violations
164
Treatment Tech Violations
16

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Lead and Copper Rule MR 33 2022
Cadmium MR 12 1986
Mercury MR 12 1986
Arsenic MR 12 1986
Barium MR 12 1986
Nitrate MR 12 1986
Fluoride MR 12 1986
Chromium MR 12 1986
Selenium MR 12 1986
Consumer Confidence Rule Other 8 2024
Surface Water Treatment Rule TT 7 2004
Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule TT 5 2008
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 4 2018
TTHM MR 4 2018
Lead and Copper Rule TT 4 2019
Coliform (TCR) MR 4 2005
2,4-D MR 3 1986
BHC-GAMMA MR 3 1986
Methoxychlor MR 3 1986
Endrin MR 3 1986
2,4,5-TP MR 3 1986
Toxaphene MR 3 1986
CARBON, TOTAL MR 3 2009
Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule MR 1 2008
Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U MR 1 1980

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 Brownlow 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 TN0000480 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 Brownlow 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
2024 Consumer Confidence Rule Other 8 SDWIS / TN0000480 / 7000
2022 Lead and Copper Rule MR 33 SDWIS / TN0000480 / 5000
2019 Lead and Copper Rule TT 4 SDWIS / TN0000480 / 5000
2018 Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 4 SDWIS / TN0000480 / 2456
2018 TTHM MR 4 SDWIS / TN0000480 / 2950
2009 CARBON, TOTAL MR 3 SDWIS / TN0000480 / 2920
2008 Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule TT 5 SDWIS / TN0000480 / 0300
2008 Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule MR 1 SDWIS / TN0000480 / 0800
2005 Coliform (TCR) MR 4 SDWIS / TN0000480 / 3100
2004 Surface Water Treatment Rule TT 7 SDWIS / TN0000480 / 0200
1986 Cadmium MR 12 SDWIS / TN0000480 / 1015
1986 Mercury MR 12 SDWIS / TN0000480 / 1035
1986 Arsenic MR 12 SDWIS / TN0000480 / 1005
1986 Barium MR 12 SDWIS / TN0000480 / 1010
1986 Nitrate MR 12 SDWIS / TN0000480 / 1040

How Brownlow Utility District Compares

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

Metric Brownlow Utility District Tennessee avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 193 56.8 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 16 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 683 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 Brownlow Utility District water safe to drink? ▼
Brownlow Utility District (PWS ID: TN0000480) has 193 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 683 people using Surface Water sources.
How many people does Brownlow Utility District serve? ▼
Brownlow Utility District serves 683 people in Mountain City, Tennessee. It is a Local-owned system using Surface Water water sources with 269 service connections.
What type of violations does Brownlow Utility District have? ▼
Brownlow Utility District has 193 total violations: 16 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 164 monitoring/reporting violations, and 16 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Brownlow Utility District water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Brownlow Utility District under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Brownlow Utility District use? ▼
Brownlow Utility District 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.