Public water system · TN0000872
ActiveWatts Bar Utility District
At a glance
Watts Bar Utility District (PWSID TN0000872) is an active community water system in Rhea County, Tennessee. It reports serving 15,571 people through 5,989 service connections. Its primary water source is purchased surface water, and EPA lists it as owned by a local government. EPA's records list 3 violations for this system; none is health-based, and the most recent began in January 1995.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
15,571
Service connections
5,989
Primary source
SWP
Purchased surface water
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does Watts Bar Utility District compare with other water systems in Rhea County?
By EPA's size categories, Watts Bar Utility District is a large system (10,001 to 100,000 people). Rhea County has 7 active public water systems, and Watts Bar Utility District is the 2nd-largest of them by population served. Its population served is about twice the county average of 7,357 people per system, and accounts for 30% of the 51,498 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 Watts Bar Utility District is about 132% above 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. Purchased surface water means the system buys surface water from another public water system rather than drawing its own. 121 Tennessee systems (8.7%) list purchased surface water as their primary source.
Who owns and regulates Watts Bar Utility District?
EPA lists Watts Bar Utility District 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. 6 of the 7 active systems in Rhea County (86%) are also owned by a local government.
Does Watts Bar Utility District have drinking water violations?
EPA's records list 3 violations for this system; none is health-based, and the most recent began in January 1995. The violations listed here began between February 1991 and January 1995. By type: 3 monitoring and reporting. The contaminants or rules involved are Glyphosate, Benzo(a)pyrene and Total coliform bacteria (TCR). EPA lists 3 as archived. 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.
| Began | Violation | Contaminant or rule | Health-based | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Glyphosatecode 2034 | No | Archived |
| 1995-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Benzo(a)pyrenecode 2306 | No | Archived |
| 1991-02-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Minor (TCR) · code 24 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Archived |
All 3 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.
Watts Bar Utility District: frequently asked questions
Who runs Watts Bar Utility District?
Watts Bar Utility District (PWSID TN0000872) is a community water system owned by a local government. It is regulated by the TN state drinking water program.
How many people does Watts Bar Utility District serve?
Watts Bar Utility District reports serving 15,571 people through 5,989 service connections in Rhea County, Tennessee.
Where does Watts Bar Utility District get its water?
EPA SDWIS lists this system's primary water source as purchased surface water. Purchased surface water means the system buys surface water from another public water system rather than drawing its own.
Does Watts Bar Utility District have any drinking water violations?
EPA's records list 3 violations for this system; none is health-based, and the most recent began in January 1995. 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 Watts Bar Utility District'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 3 violations for this system; none is health-based, and the most recent began in January 1995. For current results, consult the system's annual water quality report, EPA ECHO, or the TN state drinking water program.
Where can I find Watts Bar Utility District's water quality report?
As a community water system, Watts Bar Utility District 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 Rhea County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dayton Water Dept | Rhea | 25,054 | Community | Surface water |
| North U.D. of Rhea County | Rhea | 3,640 | Community | Purchased surface water |
| Spring City Water System | Rhea | 2,985 | Community | Surface water |
| Grandview Utility District | Rhea | 2,226 | Community | Purchased surface water |
| Graysville Water Dept | Rhea | 1,872 | Community | Groundwater |
| Laurelbrook School | Rhea | 150 | Community | Groundwater |
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, “Watts Bar Utility District, PWSID TN0000872, Tennessee”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/tennessee/watts-bar-utility-district-tn0000872 (data as of October 1, 2026).