PFAS Contamination

PFAS in Tennessee Drinking Water

Ranked by number of PFAS compounds detected · Data from EPA SDWIS & UCMR

218

Cities Tested

Exceeds Limit

16%

% Exceeds Limit

1.1 compounds

State Avg

▼ 5% vs national

vs National

227

Health Violations

Analysis

PFAS in Tennessee: what the data shows

Tennessee has 218 cities with PFAS monitoring data from the EPA's UCMR 5 program. PFAS ("forever chemicals") were detected in 80 of those cities (37%), with a significant share of cities exceeding the EPA's 2024 maximum contaminant levels of 4 ppt. The state average is better than the national average. 35 cities exceed the EPA MCL for at least one PFAS compound. PFAS are linked to cancer, immune system disruption, and developmental issues. The 2024 EPA rule requires water systems exceeding the MCL to notify customers and reduce levels by 2029. PFAS data comes from the EPA's Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule 5 (UCMR 5), which required large water systems to test for 29 PFAS compounds between 2023–2025. Not all systems have completed testing — cities without data may still have PFAS present.

Comparison

Cities exceeding EPA MCL (4 ppt each)

Tennessee

16%

35 of 218 cities

← ▼ 5% below national rate (better)

National avg

21%

1636 of 7745 cities

City Map

PFAS data across Tennessee

Each dot is a city, colored by overall water quality grade. PFAS-tested cities are shown; those exceeding the 4 ppt EPA MCL appear in red. Size reflects population served.

Worst Offenders

Top 10 cities by pfas level in Tennessee

Highest PFAS levels (compounds)

All Cities

All Tennessee cities ranked by pfas level

#	City	Level	Exceeds?	Violations	Grade
1	Manchester	8 compounds	Yes	2	D+
2	Georgetown	8 compounds	Yes	2	B
3	Counce	8 compounds	Yes	11	B
4	Cleveland	7 compounds	Yes	58	B
5	Lewisburg	7 compounds	Yes	3	B+
6	Tullahoma	7 compounds	Yes	0	B+
7	Camden	7 compounds	Yes	5	A-
8	Ardmore	7 compounds	Yes	0	F
9	Ardmore	7 compounds	Yes	0	F
10	Columbia	6 compounds	Yes	9	B+
11	Shelbyville	6 compounds	Yes	28	C
12	Dandridge	6 compounds	Yes	1	B+
13	Nolensville	6 compounds	Yes	8	B
14	Parsons	6 compounds	Yes	15	C+
15	Wartrace	6 compounds	Yes	4	B
16	Watrtace	6 compounds	Yes	4	B
17	Murfreesboro	5 compounds	Yes	4	B+
18	Lebanon	5 compounds	Yes	21	C-
19	Spring Hill	5 compounds	Yes	2	A-
20	Smyrna	5 compounds	Yes	9	A-
21	Harvest	5 compounds	Yes	1	B+
22	Harvest	5 compounds	Yes	1	B+
23	Lavergne	5 compounds	Yes	9	B+
24	Erwin	5 compounds	Yes	27	A-
25	Clifton	5 compounds	Yes	14	C
26	Lenoir City	4 compounds	Yes	3	B-
27	Scotts Hill	4 compounds	Yes	1	A-
28	Jackson	3 compounds	Yes	0	A-
29	Savannah	3 compounds	Yes	9	B+
30	Talbott	3 compounds	No	0	A-
31	Bean Station	3 compounds	No	4	A
32	Maynardville	3 compounds	No	80	C
33	White Pine	3 compounds	Yes	2	B
34	Knoxville	2 compounds	No	36	C-
35	Chattanooga	2 compounds	No	25	C+
36	Kingsport	2 compounds	Yes	6	B
37	Hixson	2 compounds	No	0	A-
38	Mcminnville	2 compounds	No	8	B+
39	Sparta	2 compounds	Yes	6	B+
40	Kingston	2 compounds	No	1	B+
41	Rogersville	2 compounds	No	40	C-
42	Signal Mountain	2 compounds	No	4	A-
43	Pulaski	2 compounds	Yes	4	B+
44	Trenton	2 compounds	Yes	3	B
45	Alamo	2 compounds	No	3	B+
46	Jefferson City	2 compounds	No	7	B+
47	South Pattsburg	2 compounds	No	5	A
48	South Pittsburg	2 compounds	No	5	A
49	New Market	2 compounds	No	1	B
50	Franklin	1 compounds	No	25	C+
51	Franklin Pike	1 compounds	No	12	B-
52	Greeneville	1 compounds	No	50	C-
53	Sevierville	1 compounds	No	11	D
54	Morristown	1 compounds	No	6	B
55	Springfield	1 compounds	No	7	A
56	Harriman	1 compounds	No	13	D+
57	Athens	1 compounds	No	0	A
58	Lake City	1 compounds	No	2	B-
59	Selmer	1 compounds	No	1	A-
60	Church Hill	1 compounds	No	4	A-
61	Millington	1 compounds	No	0	A
62	Brownsville	1 compounds	No	0	A
63	Minor Hill	1 compounds	Yes	31	C-
64	Ashland City	1 compounds	No	4	A-
65	Wartburg	1 compounds	No	1	A
66	Rockwood	1 compounds	No	3	A-
67	Jacksboro	1 compounds	No	7	D+
68	Luttrell	1 compounds	No	4	A
69	Dover	1 compounds	No	29	C-
70	Mountain City	1 compounds	No	51	C
71	Adamsville	1 compounds	No	0	A
72	South Carthage	1 compounds	No	1	B
73	Byrdstown	1 compounds	No	24	C-
74	Bolivar	1 compounds	No	2	B
75	Mohawk	1 compounds	No	1	A
76	Erin	1 compounds	No	25	B+
77	Allons	1 compounds	No	6	A
78	Moss	1 compounds	No	11	B-
79	Riceville	1 compounds	No	7	A
80	Ridgely	1 compounds	No	1	A
81	Nashville	0 compounds	No	5	C+
82	Memphis	0 compounds	No	4	C+
83	Clarksville	0 compounds	No	8	B
84	White House	0 compounds	No	4	A+
85	Johnson City	0 compounds	No	0	A
86	Maryville	0 compounds	No	9	A-
87	Mount Juliet	0 compounds	No	4	A+
88	Mt. Juliet	0 compounds	No	4	A+
89	Madison	0 compounds	No	1	A
90	Cookeville	0 compounds	No	4	B+
91	Dickson	0 compounds	No	1	A
92	Crossville	0 compounds	No	14	B+
93	Gallatin	0 compounds	No	1	A
94	Hendersonville	0 compounds	No	8	A-
95	Bartlett	0 compounds	No	0	A
96	Elizabethton	0 compounds	No	27	D
97	Collierville	0 compounds	No	2	A
98	Bristol	0 compounds	No	12	B-
99	Oak Ridge	0 compounds	No	1	A-
100	Fayetteville	0 compounds	No	2	D
101	Germantown	0 compounds	No	0	A-
102	Alcoa	0 compounds	No	4	A
103	Newport	0 compounds	No	3	A
104	Jonesborough	0 compounds	No	12	A-
105	Brentwood	0 compounds	No	1	A-
106	Loudon	0 compounds	No	5	B+
107	Lawrenceburg	0 compounds	No	1	B+
108	Lafollette	0 compounds	No	15	D+
109	Corryton	0 compounds	No	1	A+
110	La Follette	0 compounds	No	15	D+
111	Dyersburg	0 compounds	No	2	A
112	Lexington	0 compounds	No	11	A-
113	Smithville	0 compounds	No	6	C+
114	Dayton	0 compounds	No	11	B-
115	Winchester	0 compounds	No	7	A-
116	Portland	0 compounds	No	5	A
117	Covington	0 compounds	No	4	A
118	Lafayette	0 compounds	No	3	A-
119	Soddy-Daisy	0 compounds	No	2	A
120	Russellville	0 compounds	No	0	A+
121	Jamestown	0 compounds	No	21	B
122	Morrison	0 compounds	No	7	A
123	Pleasant View	0 compounds	No	0	A-
124	Clinton	0 compounds	No	1	A
125	Ripley	0 compounds	No	1	A
126	Union City	0 compounds	No	0	A
127	New Tazewell	0 compounds	No	3	B+
128	Paris	0 compounds	No	0	A-
129	Livingston	0 compounds	No	10	A-
130	Blountville	0 compounds	No	0	A+
131	Madisonville	0 compounds	No	6	A-
132	Oakland	0 compounds	No	0	A
133	Pigeon Forge	0 compounds	No	1	A
134	Vonore	0 compounds	No	2	A
135	Townsend	0 compounds	No	0	A-
136	Bethpage	0 compounds	No	10	A
137	Sweetwater	0 compounds	No	2	B
138	Dunlap	0 compounds	No	2	B
139	Etowah	0 compounds	No	5	D+
140	Lyles	0 compounds	No	2	A
141	Huntsville	0 compounds	No	0	A+
142	Hohenwald	0 compounds	No	0	B
143	Woodlawn	0 compounds	No	11	B+
144	Martin	0 compounds	No	0	A
145	Woodbury	0 compounds	No	7	A
146	Estill Springs	0 compounds	No	66	B
147	Milan	0 compounds	No	0	A-
148	Centerville	0 compounds	No	27	A-
149	Pikeville	0 compounds	No	51	B
150	Gatlinburg	0 compounds	No	3	B-
151	Oneida	0 compounds	No	25	B+
152	Hartsville	0 compounds	No	20	B-
153	Munford	0 compounds	No	1	A
154	Algood	0 compounds	No	0	A
155	Humboldt	0 compounds	No	0	A-
156	Jasper	0 compounds	No	1	A
157	Linden	0 compounds	No	2	B+
158	Newbern	0 compounds	No	0	A
159	Waverly	0 compounds	No	2	A
160	Kingston Springs	0 compounds	No	1	A
161	Kingston Springs Tn	0 compounds	No	1	A
162	Greenbrier	0 compounds	No	2	A-
163	Altamont	0 compounds	No	6	A
164	Atoka	0 compounds	No	5	A-
165	Elizabethon	0 compounds	No	9	A-
166	Mount Pleasant	0 compounds	No	4	A-
167	Henderson	0 compounds	No	0	A-
168	Monterey	0 compounds	No	10	B-
169	Rickman	0 compounds	No	3	A
170	Lynchburg	0 compounds	No	3	A-
171	Baxter	0 compounds	No	0	A
172	Tellico Plains	0 compounds	No	0	B-
173	Springville	0 compounds	No	1	A-
174	Bakewell	0 compounds	No	0	A-
175	Decatur	0 compounds	No	42	A
176	Leoma	0 compounds	No	0	A
177	Huntingdon	0 compounds	No	0	A-
178	Huntington	0 compounds	No	0	A-
179	Red Boiling Springs	0 compounds	No	106	B
180	Spencer	0 compounds	No	50	D+
181	Sewanee	0 compounds	No	1	A
182	Adams	0 compounds	No	1	A-
183	Cedar Hill	0 compounds	No	1	A-
184	Westmoreland	0 compounds	No	3	A
185	Summertown	0 compounds	No	3	B-
186	Tracy City	0 compounds	No	29	C
187	Pleasant Hill	0 compounds	No	1	A-
188	Celina	0 compounds	No	1	A
189	Mckenzie	0 compounds	No	0	B+
190	Friendsville	0 compounds	No	2	A-
191	Oliver Springs	0 compounds	No	1	B+
192	Waynesboro	0 compounds	No	2	A-
193	Riddleton	0 compounds	No	8	B
194	Gordonsville	0 compounds	No	7	B+
195	Halls	0 compounds	No	0	A+
196	Jellico	0 compounds	No	6	D+
197	Somerville	0 compounds	No	1	A
198	Decherd	0 compounds	No	9	A-
199	Loretto	0 compounds	No	8	A
200	Unicoi	0 compounds	No	0	A
201	Monteagle	0 compounds	No	6	B
202	Tennessee Ridge	0 compounds	No	0	A
203	Allardt	0 compounds	No	16	A
204	Niota	0 compounds	No	0	A
205	South Fulton	0 compounds	No	3	A
206	Englewood	0 compounds	No	3	A-
207	Brighton	0 compounds	No	1	A-
208	Mason	0 compounds	No	2	B+
209	Cartahage	0 compounds	No	5	A
210	Carthage	0 compounds	No	5	A
211	Hampton	0 compounds	No	0	A-
212	Dresden	0 compounds	No	0	A
213	New Johnsonville	0 compounds	No	5	B+
214	Graysville	0 compounds	No	5	B+
215	Harrogate	0 compounds	No	2	A-
216	Copperhill	0 compounds	No	26	B
217	Sharon	0 compounds	No	0	B
218	Whitwell	0 compounds	No	28	B+

FAQ

Frequently asked questions about pfas in Tennessee

Does Tennessee tap water contain PFAS?

PFAS were detected in 80 of 218 Tennessee cities tested under EPA's UCMR 5 program. 35 cities exceed the 2024 EPA MCL of 4 ppt for individual PFAS compounds.

How can I remove PFAS from my drinking water in Tennessee?

Reverse osmosis (RO) systems are the most effective at removing PFAS, typically removing 90%+ of compounds. High-quality activated carbon block filters (NSF 58-certified for RO, or NSF 53 for solid carbon) also provide significant reduction. Standard pitcher filters vary widely in PFAS removal.

More contaminants