waterbycounty
Federal water data

County water report

Rhea County Water Report

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

Water grade

F

Water score

35.1

State rank

#83

of 95

Health violations

24

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

30.4%

69 water bodies assessed

Monitoring sites

35

5,192 recent measurements

Live streamflow

No gauge

Primary USGS station not mapped

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Rhea County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

F

Score: 35.1 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

24

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

30% impaired

69 bodies assessed

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

No gauge

Primary USGS gauge not mapped

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

35

5,192 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.

35.1/100

Health violations

24

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

46.6

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding Rhea County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Rhea County's water systems carry a failing grade, scoring 35.1 out of 100. Over the past five years, EPA SDWIS records 24 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 substantial 30.4% of assessed waterways are impaired (21 of 69 water bodies) across Rhea County's watersheds. The leading impairment causes are escherichia coli (e. coli) and alteration in stream-side or littoral vegetative covers. 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. Rhea County has moderate coverage with 35 active monitoring sites with 5,192 recent measurements on record. Predominant monitoring categories include physical and nutrient. 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 Rhea County

Water Verdict

Rhea County, Tennessee receives a poor water quality assessment with a grade of F and a score of 35.1 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. Separately, EPA ATTAINS assessments cover 69 water bodies in the county's watershed, with 30.4% listed as impaired under the Clean Water Act — a source-water measure that is tracked independently of tap-water compliance.

Violation Context

EPA SDWIS records for Rhea County, Tennessee show 24 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 46.6 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is high and signals significant water quality management issues. For independent context, 5,192 water-quality monitoring results have been recorded across the county in the EPA Water Quality Portal over the past five years.

Consumer Guidance

Drinking-water compliance in Rhea County is rated Grade F, reflecting significant health-based violations in the recent reporting period. Rhea County's drinking-water compliance score is 35.1 out of 100. The violation rate for Rhea County is 46.6 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. E. coli is the leading impairment cause in Rhea County's watershed. With 35 active water-quality monitoring sites in Rhea County, data coverage is strong.

Regional Context

Rhea County has poorer water quality than the average county in Tennessee. Its water score is 36.2 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 Rhea County's water environment

Watershed Impairment Causes (EPA ATTAINS)

  • 1

    E. coli (bacteria)

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

  • 2

    Alteration in Stream-Side Or Littoral Vegetative Covers

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

  • 3

    Sedimentation and siltation

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

Source: EPA ATTAINS · Reporting cycle 2022

Official EPA Resources for Rhea County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Rhea County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Rhea County

Consumer Confidence Reports (TN)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in Tennessee

Clean Water Act §303(d)

Watershed Health

Impaired Water Bodies

30.4%

21 of 69 assessed

Moderate concern

Top Impairment Causes

  • 1

    ESCHERICHIA COLI (E. COLI)

  • 2

    ALTERATION IN STREAM-SIDE OR LITTORAL VEGETATIVE COVERS

  • 3

    SEDIMENTATION/SILTATION

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

35

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

5.2K

5,192 total readings

Most Measured

  • Physical
  • Nutrient
  • Biological, Counts

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 Rhea 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.

Try the full calculator →

Improve your water quality at home

Berkey filters remove 99.9%+ of contaminants from tap water.

Shop Berkey →

Sponsored

Test your tap water

Tap Score provides professional mail-in water testing.

Get Tested →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the water quality in Rhea County, Tennessee?
Rhea County, Tennessee has a drinking-water quality grade of F with a score of 35.1/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 24 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 Rhea County?
Rhea County has 24 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 Rhea County?
EPA ATTAINS assessments under Clean Water Act §303(d) indicate 30.4% of Rhea County's 69 assessed water bodies are classified as impaired (21 impaired). The top reported causes are ESCHERICHIA COLI (E. COLI), ALTERATION IN STREAM-SIDE OR LITTORAL VEGETATIVE COVERS, SEDIMENTATION/SILTATION. 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 Rhea County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 5,192 measurements from 35 monitoring sites in Rhea County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Physical, Nutrient, Biological, Counts. 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 Rhea County water compare to the Tennessee average?
Rhea County's SDWIS water quality score of 35.1/100 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 Rhea County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Rhea County has a water quality grade of F (35.1/100). 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 Rhea County have so many water violations?
Rhea County has 24 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 Rhea County rank for water quality in Tennessee?
Rhea County ranks #83 out of 95 counties in Tennessee by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 35.1/100, 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

Bedford County

Tennessee

F

37.5

Water score

DeKalb County

Tennessee

F

32.0

Water score

Hawkins County

Tennessee

F

31.9

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

Explore more data for Rhea County

Property TaxCost of LivingCrime RateIncomeHealthSchoolsDisaster RiskWeatherCounty Score