Public water system · TN0004260
ActiveChilhowee - Usfs
At a glance
Chilhowee - Usfs (PWSID TN0004260) is an active transient non-community water system in Polk County, Tennessee. It reports serving 568 people through 35 service connections. Its primary water source is groundwater, and EPA lists it as owned by the federal government. EPA's records list one violation for this system; it is not health-based, and the most recent began in October 2002.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
568
Service connections
35
Primary source
GW
Groundwater
System type
TNCWS
Transient non-community water system
System record
How does Chilhowee - Usfs compare with other water systems in Polk County?
By EPA's size categories, Chilhowee - Usfs is a small system (501 to 3,300 people). Polk County has 17 active public water systems, and Chilhowee - Usfs is the 4th-largest of them by population served. Its population served is about 14% above the county average of 497 people per system, and accounts for 6.7% of the 8,453 people reported by systems filed under the county. Across Tennessee, the 1,383 active systems average 5,780 people each. Nationally, the average active transient non-community water system reports serving 144 people, so Chilhowee - Usfs is about 3.9 times that figure.
What does “transient non-community water system” mean?
A transient non-community water system serves places where people do not stay long, such as gas stations and campgrounds, and regularly serves at least 25 people a day for at least 60 days a year. Tennessee has 891 active transient non-community water systems, 64% of the state's 1,383 active systems. Groundwater means the system draws its water from wells or springs fed by underground aquifers. 1,038 Tennessee systems (75%) list groundwater as their primary source.
Who owns and regulates Chilhowee - Usfs?
EPA lists Chilhowee - Usfs as owned by the federal 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. 4 of the 17 active systems in Polk County (24%) are also owned by the federal government.
Does Chilhowee - Usfs have drinking water violations?
EPA's records list one violation for this system; it is not health-based, and the most recent began in October 2002. By type: 1 monitoring and reporting. The contaminant or rule involved is Total coliform bacteria (TCR). EPA lists 1 as resolved. 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.
| Began | Violation | Contaminant or rule | Health-based | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Major (TCR) · code 23 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Resolved |
The one violation in EPA's records.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.
Chilhowee - Usfs: frequently asked questions
Who runs Chilhowee - Usfs?
Chilhowee - Usfs (PWSID TN0004260) is a transient non-community water system owned by the federal government. It is regulated by the TN state drinking water program.
How many people does Chilhowee - Usfs serve?
Chilhowee - Usfs reports serving 568 people through 35 service connections in Polk County, Tennessee.
Where does Chilhowee - Usfs get its water?
EPA SDWIS lists this system's primary water source as groundwater. Groundwater means the system draws its water from wells or springs fed by underground aquifers.
Does Chilhowee - Usfs have any drinking water violations?
EPA's records list one violation for this system; it is not health-based, and the most recent began in October 2002. 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 Chilhowee - Usfs' 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. EPA's records list one violation for this system; it is not health-based, and the most recent began in October 2002. For current results, consult EPA ECHO, or the TN state drinking water program.
Where can I find Chilhowee - Usfs' water quality report?
The annual Consumer Confidence Report requirement applies to community water systems. Chilhowee - Usfs is a transient non-community water system, so it is not required to publish one; like every public water system, it must notify the people it serves about violations under EPA's public notification rules.
Other water systems in Polk County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Copper Basin Utility District | Polk | 2,710 | Community | Surface water |
| Benton Water System | Polk | 2,491 | Community | Groundwater |
| Copperhill Water Dept | Polk | 1,217 | Community | Purchased surface water |
| Cherokee Hills U.D. | Polk | 258 | Community | Groundwater |
| Mac Point - Usfs | Polk | 200 | Transient non-community | Groundwater |
| Thunder Rock #2 Cmpg - Usfs | Polk | 150 | Transient non-community | Groundwater |
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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, “Chilhowee - Usfs, PWSID TN0004260, Tennessee”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/tennessee/chilhowee-usfs-tn0004260 (data as of October 1, 2026).