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Federal water data

County water report

Fentress County Water Report

Drinking-water compliance, watershed health, monitoring records, and river conditions for Fentress County, Tennessee.

Water grade

F

Water score

29.2

State rank

#86

of 95

Health violations

17

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

5.2%

77 water bodies assessed

Monitoring sites

13

1,534 recent measurements

Live streamflow

No gauge

Primary USGS station not mapped

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Fentress County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

F

Score: 29.2 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

17

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

5% impaired

77 bodies assessed

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

No gauge

Primary USGS gauge not mapped

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

13

1,534 recent readings

Source: EPA SDWIS · Safe Drinking Water Information System

Drinking Water Compliance

Compliance grade

F

Based on EPA SDWIS compliance history.

Water score

Higher scores indicate cleaner recent compliance records.

29.2/100

Health violations

17

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

70.9

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding Fentress County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Fentress County's water systems carry a failing grade, scoring 29.2 out of 100. Over the past five years, EPA SDWIS records 17 health-based violations — a pattern that public water utilities are required to disclose and correct.

Watershed Conditions

EPA ATTAINS

Under the Clean Water Act §303(d), EPA ATTAINS tracks whether waterways meet quality standards for drinking, recreation, and aquatic life (reporting cycle: 2022). A small share — 5.2% — of assessed waterways are impaired (4 of 77 water bodies) across Fentress County's watersheds. The leading impairment causes are ph and iron. Impairment does not mean tap water is unsafe — it measures ambient waterway conditions upstream of treatment, not finished drinking water.

Monitoring Network

EPA WQP

EPA's Water Quality Portal (WQP) aggregates monitoring data from federal, state, and tribal agencies. Fentress County has moderate coverage with 13 active monitoring sites with 1,534 recent measurements on record. Predominant monitoring categories include physical and inorganics, minor, metals. More monitoring sites generally indicate greater scientific attention to local water conditions — and provide the baseline data that regulators use to set future impairment listings.

Editorial advisory

What the data suggests for Fentress County

Water Verdict

Fentress County receives a poor water quality assessment with a grade of F and a score of 29.2 out of 100. The water supply has documented quality issues. Residents are strongly encouraged to use filtered or bottled water for drinking and to stay informed about utility improvement plans.

Violation Context

Fentress County has recorded 17 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 70.9 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is high and signals significant water quality management issues.

Consumer Guidance

Drinking-water compliance in Fentress County is rated Grade F, reflecting significant health-based violations in the recent reporting period. Fentress County's drinking-water compliance score is 29.2 out of 100. The violation rate for Fentress County is 70.9 per 100,000 people served. An NSF 53 or NSF 58-certified filter is recommended for drinking and cooking water. Check the Consumer Confidence Report from your utility to identify the specific contaminants and required corrective actions — utilities are legally required to notify customers of violations. pH is the leading impairment cause in Fentress County's watershed. With 13 active water-quality monitoring sites in Fentress County, data coverage is strong.

Regional Context

Fentress County has poorer water quality than the average county in Tennessee. Its water score is 42.1 points lower than the state average, suggesting more challenges with contamination control or infrastructure than neighboring counties.

Advisory text summarizes county-level public records and is not a replacement for your utility's current Consumer Confidence Report or direct local notices.

Contaminants & Resources

Key issues flagged in Fentress County's water environment

Watershed Impairment Causes (EPA ATTAINS)

  • 1

    pH imbalance

    Impairment cause per EPA Clean Water Act §303(d) assessment

  • 2

    Iron

    Impairment cause per EPA Clean Water Act §303(d) assessment

  • 3

    Manganese

    Impairment cause per EPA Clean Water Act §303(d) assessment

Source: EPA ATTAINS · Reporting cycle 2022

Official EPA Resources for Fentress County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Fentress County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Fentress County

Consumer Confidence Reports (TN)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in Tennessee

Clean Water Act §303(d)

Watershed Health

Impaired Water Bodies

5.2%

4 of 77 assessed

Mostly healthy

Top Impairment Causes

  • 1

    PH

  • 2

    IRON

  • 3

    MANGANESE

Source: EPA ATTAINS · Reporting cycle 2022

Impairment is determined under the Clean Water Act §303(d): a water body is impaired when it fails to meet state-defined quality standards for designated uses (drinking, recreation, aquatic life). Assessment coverage varies by state; counties without assessed water bodies are not shown.

Past 5 years

Water Quality Monitoring

Monitoring Sites

13

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

1.5K

1,534 total readings

Most Measured

  • Physical
  • Inorganics, Minor, Metals
  • Nutrient

Categories measured most frequently

Data from the EPA Water Quality Portal (WQP), aggregating monitoring records from federal, state, and tribal sources. Each measurement represents a single sample analyzed for a specific characteristic (e.g., E. coli, pH, dissolved oxygen, nitrogen).

Free tool

Estimate Your Water Costs

Water Cost Estimate

3

3 people  ·  ~225 gal/day

Annual Total

$558

Monthly

$47

Water Bill

$558/yr

Filter Cost

$0/yr

Safety Grade for Fentress County:C — Moderate

Some violations or watershed impairment detected.

Estimates use the national average residential water rate ($0.0068/gal, EPA/AWWA 2023) and EPA WaterSense per-person consumption baseline (75 gal/person/day). Actual bills vary by utility, usage tier, and local infrastructure fees. For informational purposes only.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the water quality in Fentress County, Tennessee?
Fentress County, Tennessee has a drinking-water quality grade of F with a score of 29.2/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 17 health-based drinking water violations over the past 5 years. Watershed health, monitoring records, and streamflow snapshots are reported separately on this page.
Are there any water violations in Fentress County?
Fentress County has 17 health-based drinking water violations recorded by the EPA over the past 5 years. Health-based violations indicate instances where contaminant levels exceeded EPA Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs). Violations may have been resolved — check with your local water utility for current status.
How healthy are the watersheds in Fentress County?
EPA ATTAINS assessments under Clean Water Act §303(d) indicate 5.2% of Fentress County's 77 assessed water bodies are classified as impaired (4 impaired). The top reported causes are PH, IRON, MANGANESE. Impairment means the water body fails to meet state quality standards for at least one designated use — drinking water source, recreation, aquatic life, or fish consumption. Note: watershed impairment doesn't always translate to tap-water issues; treatment plants can remove most regulated contaminants.
How much water-quality monitoring happens in Fentress County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 1,534 measurements from 13 monitoring sites in Fentress County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Physical, Inorganics, Minor, Metals, Nutrient. Each measurement is a single sample analyzed for one characteristic (E. coli, pH, dissolved oxygen, etc.). High monitoring density means more scientific evidence behind any reported signal — it does not by itself indicate water quality.
How does Fentress County water compare to the Tennessee average?
Fentress County's SDWIS water quality score of 29.2/100 is lower than the Tennessee state average of 71.3. The average water quality grade across Tennessee is C, based on data from 95 counties with available SDWIS data.
Is tap water safe to drink in Fentress County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Fentress County has a water quality grade of F (29.2/100). This indicates below-average compliance with significant violations. Residents may want to consider home water filtration or independent testing. The grade speaks to the public water system, not the watershed — for watershed-level concerns, see the Watershed Health zone. For the most up-to-date information, contact your local water utility or review your Consumer Confidence Report (CCR).
Why does Fentress County have so many water violations?
Fentress County has 17 health-based drinking water violations on record from the EPA SDWIS database. A higher violation count can result from aging infrastructure, underfunded water utilities, agricultural runoff contamination, or industrial pollution. Counties with more water systems may also see more violations simply due to scale. Residents concerned about water quality should consider independent water testing and home filtration systems.
How does Fentress County rank for water quality in Tennessee?
Fentress County ranks #86 out of 95 counties in Tennessee by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 29.2/100, it falls in the bottom third of counties statewide. The ranking reflects EPA SDWIS compliance only — not watershed impairment, monitoring density, or streamflow, which are tracked separately on this page.

Counties with Similar Water Quality

Hawkins County

Tennessee

F

31.9

Water score

DeKalb County

Tennessee

F

32.0

Water score

Clay County

Tennessee

F

25.0

Water score

Data Sources

Drinking-water compliance data from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) via the ECHO enforcement database. Scores reflect compliance history and health-based violation counts.

Watershed health and impaired-waterway data from the EPA ATTAINS Clean Water Act §303(d) assessments, state-reported and EPA-finalized.

Water-quality monitoring counts from the EPA Water Quality Portal (WQP), federated USGS, EPA, and state agency sampling records over a rolling 5-year window.

Disclaimer: This data is informational only. It is not health, legal, or professional advice. For concerns about your specific water supply, contact your local water utility.

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorUpdated Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor

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