Public water system · TN0000450
ActiveMemphis Light, Gas, & Water
At a glance
Memphis Light, Gas, & Water (PWSID TN0000450) is an active community water system in Shelby County, Tennessee. It reports serving 659,500 people through 255,620 service connections. Its primary water source is groundwater, and EPA lists it as owned by a local government. EPA's records list 4 violations for this system; none is health-based, and the most recent began in May 2013.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
659,500
Service connections
255,620
Primary source
GW
Groundwater
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does Memphis Light, Gas, & Water compare with other water systems in Shelby County?
By EPA's size categories, Memphis Light, Gas, & Water is a very large system (more than 100,000 people). Shelby County has 10 active public water systems, and Memphis Light, Gas, & Water is the largest of them by population served. Its population served is about 8 times the county average of 82,345 people per system, and accounts for 80% of the 823,454 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 Memphis Light, Gas, & Water is about 98 times 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 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 Memphis Light, Gas, & Water?
EPA lists Memphis Light, Gas, & Water 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. 5 of the 10 active systems in Shelby County (50%) are also owned by a local government.
Does Memphis Light, Gas, & Water have drinking water violations?
EPA's records list 4 violations for this system; none is health-based, and the most recent began in May 2013. The violations listed here began between June 1992 and May 2013. By type: 3 monitoring and reporting and 1 public notice, recordkeeping or other. The contaminants or rules involved are Total coliform bacteria (TCR), Chlorine, Consumer Confidence Rule and Gross alpha (excluding radon and uranium). EPA lists 3 as archived and 1 as resolved. Archived means the violation was not marked resolved but is more than five years past the end of the noncompliance period, so it no longer counts toward current compliance status. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-05-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Repeat Major (TCR) · code 25 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Archived |
| 2013-04-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27 | Chlorinecode 0999 | No | Archived |
| 2008-07-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Complete Failure to Report · code 71 | Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000 | No | Resolved |
| 1992-06-24 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Gross alpha (excluding radon and uranium)code 4000 | No | Archived |
All 4 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.
Memphis Light, Gas, & Water: frequently asked questions
Who runs Memphis Light, Gas, & Water?
Memphis Light, Gas, & Water (PWSID TN0000450) is a community water system owned by a local government. It is regulated by the TN state drinking water program.
How many people does Memphis Light, Gas, & Water serve?
Memphis Light, Gas, & Water reports serving 659,500 people through 255,620 service connections in Shelby County, Tennessee.
Where does Memphis Light, Gas, & Water 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 Memphis Light, Gas, & Water have any drinking water violations?
EPA's records list 4 violations for this system; none is health-based, and the most recent began in May 2013. 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 Memphis Light, Gas, & Water'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. EPA's records list 4 violations for this system; none is health-based, and the most recent began in May 2013. For current results, consult the system's annual water quality report, EPA ECHO, or the TN state drinking water program.
Where can I find Memphis Light, Gas, & Water's water quality report?
As a community water system, Memphis Light, Gas, & Water 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 Shelby County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bartlett Water System | Shelby | 57,129 | Community | Groundwater |
| Collierville Water Dept | Shelby | 51,972 | Community | Groundwater |
| Germantown Water Dept | Shelby | 37,738 | Community | Groundwater |
| Millington Water Dept | Shelby | 8,935 | Community | Groundwater |
| Nsa - Midsouth | Shelby | 7,000 | Community | Groundwater |
| Blues City Brewery, LLC | Shelby | 800 | Non-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, “Memphis Light, Gas, & Water, PWSID TN0000450, Tennessee”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/tennessee/memphis-light-gas-water-tn0000450 (data as of October 1, 2026).