277 public water systems in Tennessee were sampled in EPA's UCMR 5 programme (2023–2025); we show six PFAS and lithium. Read 2026-10-31.
37 of 277 systems had at least one sample above a 2024 federal limit; 68 had at least one PFAS found above the reporting level; 209 had none found above the reporting level.
A single sample above a 2024 limit is a measurement, not a violation. Compliance is judged on running yearly averages, and water systems have until 2029 to meet the limits. On 20 May 2026 EPA proposed giving qualifying systems until 2031 for PFOA and PFOS and removing the limits for PFHxS, PFNA and HFPO-DA; those proposals were not final when we last checked (5 Nov 2026). Counts are per system, not per person; population figures are available only for systems serving more than 25,000 people (about 5,652,492 people across those systems here). UCMR 5 was a one-time national monitoring programme (2023–2025). The results are a snapshot at the system's entry points or taps on the sample dates, not a continuous measurement and not a compliance record.
Pages for these are being added in stages. The data for all 277 systems is in the public dataset.
| System | People served | UCMR 5 result |
|---|---|---|
| Knoxville Utilities Board-Kub Knoxville Utilities Board-Kub | 254,671 | Detected, below the 2024 limit |
| Clarksville Water Department Clarksville Water Department | 251,864 | None detected (below the reporting level) |
| Consolidated U D of Rutherford Consolidated U D of Rutherford | 221,871 | Detected, below the 2024 limit |
| Tennessee American Water Tennessee American Water | 207,046 | Detected, below the 2024 limit |
| White House Utility District White House Utility District | 130,411 | None detected (below the reporting level) |
| First Util Dist of Knox County First Util Dist of Knox County | 115,531 | Detected, below the 2024 limit |
| Murfreesboro Water Department Murfreesboro Water Department | 114,331 | Above the 2024 limit in at least one sample |
| Kingsport Water Dept Kingsport Water Dept | 107,739 | Above the 2024 limit in at least one sample |
| Johnson City Water Dept Johnson City Water Dept | 105,057 | None detected (below the reporting level) |
| Cleveland Utilities Cleveland Utilities | 95,087 | Detected, below the 2024 limit |
| Jackson Water System Jackson Water System | 91,111 | Above the 2024 limit in at least one sample |
| West Wilson Utility District West Wilson Utility District | 86,978 | None detected (below the reporting level) |
| Columbia Power and Water Systems Columbia Power and Water Systems | 84,617 | None detected (below the reporting level) |
| Madison Suburban Ud Madison Suburban Ud | 84,437 | None detected (below the reporting level) |
| Hallsdale-Powell Utility District Hallsdale-Powell Utility District | 84,315 | None detected (below the reporting level) |
| West Knox Utility District West Knox Utility District | 77,825 | None detected (below the reporting level) |
| Franklin Water Dept Franklin Water Dept | 77,222 | None detected (below the reporting level) |
| Water Auth. of Dickson County Water Auth. of Dickson County | 68,675 | None detected (below the reporting level) |
| Hixson Utility District Hixson Utility District | 68,306 | Detected, below the 2024 limit |
| Smyrna Water System Smyrna Water System | 66,942 | Above the 2024 limit in at least one sample |
| Gallatin Water Department Gallatin Water Department | 65,964 | None detected (below the reporting level) |
| Spring Hill Water Dept Spring Hill Water Dept | 65,840 | Above the 2024 limit in at least one sample |
| Harpeth Valley U D Harpeth Valley U D | 65,518 | None detected (below the reporting level) |
| Lebanon Water System Lebanon Water System | 60,669 | None detected (below the reporting level) |
| Eastside Utility District Eastside Utility District | 59,612 | None detected (below the reporting level) |