Public water system · TN0008278
ActiveWatauga River Reg Water Auth
At a glance
Watauga River Reg Water Auth (PWSID TN0008278) is an active community water system in Carter County, Tennessee. It reports serving 353 people through 155 service connections. Its primary water source is surface water, and EPA lists it as owned by a local government. EPA's records list one violation for this system; it is not health-based, and the most recent began in July 2019.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
353
Service connections
155
Primary source
SW
Surface water
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does Watauga River Reg Water Auth compare with other water systems in Carter County?
By EPA's size categories, Watauga River Reg Water Auth is a very small system (500 people or fewer). Carter County has 15 active public water systems. Its population served is well below the county average of 3,966 people per system, and accounts for 0.6% of the 59,496 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 Watauga River Reg Water Auth is well 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. Surface water means the system draws its water from rivers, lakes, streams or reservoirs. 151 Tennessee systems (11%) list surface water as their primary source.
Who owns and regulates Watauga River Reg Water Auth?
EPA lists Watauga River Reg Water Auth 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. 8 of the 15 active systems in Carter County (53%) are also owned by a local government.
Does Watauga River Reg Water Auth have drinking water violations?
EPA's records list one violation for this system; it is not health-based, and the most recent began in July 2019. By type: 1 public notice, recordkeeping or other. The contaminant or rule involved is Consumer Confidence Rule. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-07-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Complete Failure to Report · code 71 | Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000 | 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.
Watauga River Reg Water Auth: frequently asked questions
Who runs Watauga River Reg Water Auth?
Watauga River Reg Water Auth (PWSID TN0008278) is a community water system owned by a local government. It is regulated by the TN state drinking water program.
How many people does Watauga River Reg Water Auth serve?
Watauga River Reg Water Auth reports serving 353 people through 155 service connections in Carter County, Tennessee.
Where does Watauga River Reg Water Auth get its water?
EPA SDWIS lists this system's primary water source as surface water. Surface water means the system draws its water from rivers, lakes, streams or reservoirs.
Does Watauga River Reg Water Auth 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 July 2019. 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 Watauga River Reg Water Auth'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 one violation for this system; it is not health-based, and the most recent began in July 2019. For current results, consult the system's annual water quality report, EPA ECHO, or the TN state drinking water program.
Where can I find Watauga River Reg Water Auth's water quality report?
As a community water system, Watauga River Reg Water Auth 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 Carter County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elizabethton Water Dept | Carter | 32,490 | Community | Purchased surface water |
| First U.D. of Carter County | Carter | 9,143 | Community | Groundwater under influence of surface water |
| South Elizabethton U.D. | Carter | 6,244 | Community | Purchased surface water |
| Hampton Utility District | Carter | 4,354 | Community | Groundwater |
| Siam Utility District | Carter | 3,319 | Community | Purchased surface water |
| North Elizabethton Water Co-Op | Carter | 1,555 | Community | Purchased surface water |
Related pages
Working with water-system records? Pro adds alerts, change history and CSV export ($49/mo); Enterprise adds full national files, the API and an MCP server for AI tools.
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, “Watauga River Reg Water Auth, PWSID TN0008278, Tennessee”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/tennessee/watauga-river-reg-water-auth-tn0008278 (data as of October 1, 2026).