Skip to main content
WaterSafety

What's in the Water in Knoxville, TN?

Monitoring data for Knoxville, Tennessee shows 1 distinct contaminant detected in the public water supply — Chlorine. None exceeded the EPA Maximum Contaminant Level in the reported samples.

Contaminants Detected in Knoxville

ContaminantDetectedEPA Limit (MCL)Status
Chlorine2 ppm4 ppmWithin limit

Detected levels are the highest reported across Knoxville systems for each contaminant. MCL = EPA Maximum Contaminant Level, the legal safety ceiling. Source: EPA SDWIS monitoring data.

Safety & Violations

MetricValue
Average Safety Score88/100 (B worst)
Public Water Systems1
Population Served254,671
Health Violations0
Monitoring Violations0
Contaminant Exceedances0
Enforcement Actions4

Frequently Asked Questions

Monitoring data for Knoxville, Tennessee shows 1 distinct contaminant detected in the public water supply — Chlorine. None exceeded the EPA Maximum Contaminant Level in the reported samples.

The 1 public water system serving Knoxville, Tennessee (population 254,671) average a Water Safety Score of 88/100, with a worst grade of B. These systems have no health-based violations on record.

Knoxville, Tennessee is served by 1 public water system, together supplying water to roughly 254,671 people. The worst safety grade among them is B.

No. In the reported monitoring data for Knoxville, no detected contaminant exceeded its EPA Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL).

The Water Safety Score (0-100, graded A-F) weighs health-based violations (40%), contaminant exceedances (30%), enforcement history (20%), and monitoring violations (10%), using EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) data from the last 10 years.

Request your utility's annual Consumer Confidence Report (CCR), consider an independent test from a state-certified lab, and use an NSF-certified filter targeting any contaminant of concern. For lead specifically, run cold water 30 seconds before drinking.

Monitoring data for Knoxville, Tennessee shows 1 distinct contaminant detected in the public water supply — Chlorine. None exceeded the EPA Maximum Contaminant Level in the reported samples.

The data source behind this answer is the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS). Every figure on the page traces back to that source; the methodology page describes the inputs and the refresh cadence in full detail.

A practical caveat: the headline answer above reflects the most recent the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) vintage; underlying data is often revised for months after first publication, and the right reference for any specific decision is whichever vintage is current at the time of the decision. The as-of date is stamped on every page.

Source: EPA Ground Water and Drinking Water, 2026.