Public water system · TN0000061
ActiveBluff City Water Department
At a glance
Bluff City Water Department (PWSID TN0000061) is an active community water system in Sullivan County, Tennessee. It reports serving 2,763 people through 1,186 service connections. Its primary water source is groundwater under influence of surface water, and EPA lists it as owned by a local government. Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, none is health-based, and the most recent began in July 2025.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
2,763
Service connections
1,186
Primary source
GU
Groundwater under influence of surface water
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does Bluff City Water Department compare with other water systems in Sullivan County?
By EPA's size categories, Bluff City Water Department is a small system (501 to 3,300 people). Sullivan County has 16 active public water systems. Its population served is well below the county average of 12,123 people per system, and accounts for 1.4% of the 193,961 people reported by systems filed under the county. Across Tennessee, the 1,383 active systems average 5,780 people each. Nationally, the average active community water system reports serving 6,703 people, so Bluff City Water Department is about 59% below that figure.
What does “community water system” mean?
A community water system serves at least 15 connections used by year-round residents, or regularly serves at least 25 year-round residents. Homes, apartments and mobile-home parks are served by these. Tennessee has 450 active community water systems, 33% of the state's 1,383 active systems. Groundwater under the influence of surface water is well or spring water that the regulator has found to be affected by nearby surface water, so it is regulated under the surface-water treatment rules. 44 Tennessee systems (3.2%) list groundwater under influence of surface water as their primary source.
Who owns and regulates Bluff City Water Department?
EPA lists Bluff City Water Department as owned by a local government. The TN state drinking water program is its primacy agency, the regulator with primary enforcement responsibility for the system under the Safe Drinking Water Act. 9 of the 16 active systems in Sullivan County (56%) are also owned by a local government.
Does Bluff City Water Department have drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, none is health-based, and the most recent began in July 2025. The violations listed here began between October 2019 and July 2025. By type: 7 public notice, recordkeeping or other and 5 monitoring and reporting. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Consumer Confidence Rule (6 of them). EPA lists 10 as resolved and 2 as unaddressed. Resolved means at least one resolving action is on record: the system returned to compliance, the rule no longer applies, or no further action was needed. Unaddressed means the violation is not resolved or archived and is not yet covered by formal enforcement.
| Began | Violation | Contaminant or rule | Health-based | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-07-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Inadequate Reporting · code 72 | Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000 | No | Unaddressed |
| 2023-07-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Inadequate Reporting · code 72 | Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000 | No | Resolved |
| 2022-07-23 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherPublic Notification Violation for NPDWR Violation · code 75 | Public Noticecode 7500 | No | Unaddressed |
| 2022-07-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Complete Failure to Report · code 71 | Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000 | No | Resolved |
| 2022-07-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Inadequate Reporting · code 72 | Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000 | No | Resolved |
| 2022-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingLead Consumer Notice · code 66 | Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000 | No | Resolved |
| 2021-07-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Inadequate Reporting · code 72 | Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000 | No | Resolved |
| 2021-04-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27 | Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)code 2950 | No | Resolved |
| 2021-04-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27 | Haloacetic acids (HAA5)code 2456 | No | Resolved |
| 2020-07-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Inadequate Reporting · code 72 | Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000 | No | Resolved |
| 2019-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27 | Haloacetic acids (HAA5)code 2456 | No | Resolved |
| 2019-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27 | Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)code 2950 | No | Resolved |
The 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, newest first.Labels and codes come from EPA's SDWIS reference tables. A monitoring or reporting violation means a required test or report was missed or late; it does not by itself mean a contaminant was found. "Health-based" marks violations of a legal limit or required treatment.
Bluff City Water Department: frequently asked questions
Who runs Bluff City Water Department?
Bluff City Water Department (PWSID TN0000061) is a community water system owned by a local government. It is regulated by the TN state drinking water program.
How many people does Bluff City Water Department serve?
Bluff City Water Department reports serving 2,763 people through 1,186 service connections in Sullivan County, Tennessee.
Where does Bluff City Water Department get its water?
EPA SDWIS lists this system's primary water source as groundwater under influence of surface water. Groundwater under the influence of surface water is well or spring water that the regulator has found to be affected by nearby surface water, so it is regulated under the surface-water treatment rules.
Does Bluff City Water Department have any drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, none is health-based, and the most recent began in July 2025. A monitoring or reporting violation means a required test or report was missed or late; it does not by itself mean a contaminant was found.
Is Bluff City Water Department's water safe to drink?
AquaCensus shows EPA compliance records, not current water test results, so it cannot say whether the water is safe at a given moment. Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, none is health-based, and the most recent began in July 2025. For current results, consult the system's annual water quality report, EPA ECHO, or the TN state drinking water program.
Where can I find Bluff City Water Department's water quality report?
As a community water system, Bluff City Water Department must deliver an annual water quality report, called a Consumer Confidence Report, to its customers by July 1 each year, covering the previous calendar year. The system can provide a copy on request.
Other water systems in Sullivan County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kingsport Water Dept | Sullivan | 107,739 | Community | Surface water |
| Bristol Dept of Utilities | Sullivan | 37,648 | Community | Surface water |
| Blountville Utility District | Sullivan | 15,647 | Community | Purchased surface water |
| Bloomingdale Utility District | Sullivan | 13,318 | Community | Surface water |
| South Fork Utility District | Sullivan | 7,645 | Community | Purchased surface water |
| Bristol-Bluff City U.D. | Sullivan | 6,268 | Community | Surface water |
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About this data
Source: U.S. EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) and SDWA violation records, via EPA ECHO, as published October 1, 2026 — AquaCensus refreshes it quarterly. See the methodology for how records are matched, cleaned and scored.
Cite as: AquaCensus, “Bluff City Water Department, PWSID TN0000061, Tennessee”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/tennessee/bluff-city-water-department-tn0000061 (data as of October 1, 2026).