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Tennessee Tap Water Quality 2026

EPA drinking water data for 485 cities across Tennessee — covering lead levels, violation history, and compliance status.

Systems tracked: 303 Cities covered: 485 Updated: 2026 Q2
A

Tennessee earns an A for overall water quality

485 communities across 95 counties and 303 water systems. 99.4% have no open violations.

Median lead where detected: 1.00 ppb
0.0% of systems report lead as not detected — a state filing convention, not a water quality measure
PFAS tested at 70.5% of communities; 23 above the federal limit
Lead reported for 100.0% of communities
99.4% of communities have no open violations
Water Systems
303
Active community systems
Median Lead Level
1 ppb
7% of EPA action level
Fully Compliant
99.4%
of systems — no active violations
How we grade states Grades are based on actual EPA enforcement data — MCL violations and lead levels measured against the 15 ppb federal action level. We do not use MCLG-based detections, which are aspirational zero-tolerance goals that would make nearly every state look dangerous. Read our full methodology →

Best & Worst Cities in Tennessee

✓ Cleanest Water
Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance)
Davidson County
0.8 ppb A
Knoxville
Knox County
0.6 ppb A
Clarksville
Montgomery County
1.0 ppb B
Kingsport
Sullivan County
1.0 ppb A
Cleveland
Bradley County
1.0 ppb A
Smyrna
Rutherford County
1.0 ppb A
⚠ Needs Attention
Clifton
Wayne County
1.0 ppb D
Watertown
Wilson County
1.0 ppb D
Camden
Benton County
0.3 ppb D
Parsons
Decatur County
2.2 ppb D
Tullahoma
Coffee County
2.1 ppb D
Hillsboro
Coffee County
0.8 ppb D

Water Quality by County

95 of 95
Sort:
CountySystemsLead LevelViolationsGrade
Hamilton County 19 1.0 ppb 0 A
Sumner County 17 1.0 ppb 0 A
Hardeman County 10 1.1 ppb 0 A
McNairy County 10 1.0 ppb 0 A
Wilson County 10 1.0 ppb 0 B
Carroll County 10 0.5 ppb 0 A
Gibson County 10 0.7 ppb 0 A
Hardin County 10 1.0 ppb 0 B
Marion County 9 1.0 ppb 0 A
Sullivan County 9 1.0 ppb 0 A

About Tennessee Drinking Water

Tennessee is served by 303 community water systems covering 485 communities across 95 counties. 99.4% have no open violation on record.

Lead was detected in 485 communities, with a median of 1.00 ppb — 7% of the federal action level. A further 0 reported none detected. That share is a state reporting convention rather than a measure of water quality, so it is stated separately rather than averaged in.

PFAS has been tested at 70.5% of communities here, and 23 are above the limits EPA set in 2024. Coverage matters: states that test more find more, so this figure is not comparable with a state that has tested less.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Tennessee tap water safe to drink? ▼
99.4% of communities have no open violation on record. 23 have PFAS above the federal limit set in 2024, which is the main open concern.
Does Tennessee have a lead problem? ▼
0 water systems report a 90th-percentile lead result at or above the 15 ppb action level. The action level is a treatment trigger, not a legal maximum, and 0 communities report no detection at all.
How complete is the data for Tennessee? ▼
Lead results are reported for 100.0% of communities and PFAS for 70.5%. Where a figure is missing it is shown as not reported rather than assumed safe.
How does Tennessee compare with other states? ▼
We do not rank states against each other. Lead reporting completeness ranges from under 20% to 100% depending on the state, so a national ranking would compare filing practice rather than water quality.