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Community Water System · PWS TN0000841

Norton Creek Water System

Gatlinburg, Tennessee 37738 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 107 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

107
People served
113
EPA violations
2
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 113 drinking-water violations at Norton Creek Water System, 2% of them health-based - above the Tennessee per-system average.

113
Total EPA violations on record
2%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
107
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Norton Creek Water System

Norton Creek Water System is a private-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 107 residents in Gatlinburg, Tennessee (Sevier County) through 42 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 113 total violations for this system , of which 2 (2%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 102 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 1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene, recorded in 4 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%).

Norton Creek Water System's 113 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
107
Total Violations
113
Health-Based Violations
2
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Private
Connections
42
County
Sevier
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
2
Monitoring Violations
102
Treatment Tech Violations
0

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene MR 4 2020
1,1,1-Trichloroethane MR 4 2020
1,2-Dichloropropane MR 4 2020
Trichloroethylene MR 4 2020
CHLOROBENZENE MR 4 2020
Styrene MR 4 2020
Xylenes, Total MR 4 2020
o-Dichlorobenzene MR 4 2020
p-Dichlorobenzene MR 4 2020
Ethylbenzene MR 4 2020
DICHLOROMETHANE MR 4 2020
trans-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 4 2020
Vinyl chloride MR 4 2020
Tetrachloroethylene MR 4 2020
1,1-Dichloroethylene MR 4 2020
1,1,2-Trichloroethane MR 4 2020
Toluene MR 4 2020
Carbon tetrachloride MR 4 2020
cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 4 2020
Benzene MR 4 2020
1,2-Dichloroethane MR 4 2020
TTHM MR 3 2024
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 3 2024
Lead and Copper Rule MR 2 2021
Coliform (TCR) MCL 2 1991
Coliform (TCR) MR 2 1992
Consumer Confidence Rule Other 1 2021
Fluoride MR 1 1982
Mercury MR 1 1982
Nitrate MR 1 1982

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 Norton Creek 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 TN0000841 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 Norton Creek 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
2024 TTHM MR 3 SDWIS / TN0000841 / 2950
2024 Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 3 SDWIS / TN0000841 / 2456
2021 Lead and Copper Rule MR 2 SDWIS / TN0000841 / 5000
2021 Consumer Confidence Rule Other 1 SDWIS / TN0000841 / 7000
2020 1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene MR 4 SDWIS / TN0000841 / 2378
2020 1,1,1-Trichloroethane MR 4 SDWIS / TN0000841 / 2981
2020 1,2-Dichloropropane MR 4 SDWIS / TN0000841 / 2983
2020 Trichloroethylene MR 4 SDWIS / TN0000841 / 2984
2020 CHLOROBENZENE MR 4 SDWIS / TN0000841 / 2989
2020 Styrene MR 4 SDWIS / TN0000841 / 2996
2020 Xylenes, Total MR 4 SDWIS / TN0000841 / 2955
2020 o-Dichlorobenzene MR 4 SDWIS / TN0000841 / 2968
2020 p-Dichlorobenzene MR 4 SDWIS / TN0000841 / 2969
2020 Ethylbenzene MR 4 SDWIS / TN0000841 / 2992
2020 DICHLOROMETHANE MR 4 SDWIS / TN0000841 / 2964

How Norton Creek Water System Compares

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

Metric Norton Creek Water System Tennessee avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 113 56.8 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 2 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 107 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 Norton Creek Water System water safe to drink? ▼
Norton Creek Water System (PWS ID: TN0000841) has 113 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 107 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Norton Creek Water System serve? ▼
Norton Creek Water System serves 107 people in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. It is a Private-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 42 service connections.
What type of violations does Norton Creek Water System have? ▼
Norton Creek Water System has 113 total violations: 2 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 102 monitoring/reporting violations, and 0 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Norton Creek Water System water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Norton Creek Water System under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Norton Creek Water System use? ▼
Norton Creek Water System uses Groundwater 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.