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Federal water data

County water report

Washington County Water Report

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

Water grade

B

Water score

66.2

State rank

#68

of 95

Health violations

4

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

63.4%

82 water bodies assessed

Monitoring sites

48

13,683 recent measurements

Live streamflow

No gauge

NOLICHUCKY RIVER AT EMBREEVILLE, TN

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Washington County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

B

Score: 66.2 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

4

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

63% impaired

82 bodies assessed

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

No gauge

NOLICHUCKY RIVER AT EMBREEVILLE, TN

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

48

13,683 recent readings

Source: EPA SDWIS · Safe Drinking Water Information System

Drinking Water Compliance

Compliance grade

B

Based on EPA SDWIS compliance history.

Water score

Higher scores indicate cleaner recent compliance records.

66.2/100

Health violations

4

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

2.9

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding Washington County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Washington County earns a B grade for drinking water quality, scoring 66.2 out of 100. Over the past five years, EPA SDWIS records 4 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 large majority — 63.4% — of assessed waterways are impaired (52 of 82 water bodies) across Washington 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. Washington County has moderate coverage with 48 active monitoring sites with 13,683 recent measurements on record. Predominant monitoring categories include inorganics, minor, metals 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 Washington County

Water Verdict

Washington County, Tennessee receives a fair water quality assessment with a grade of B and a score of 66.2 out of 100. The water supply meets baseline federal standards, but there may be periods of elevated contaminant levels or infrastructure concerns worth monitoring. Separately, EPA ATTAINS assessments cover 82 water bodies in the county's watershed, with 63.4% 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 Washington County, Tennessee show 4 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 2.9 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is relatively low compared to many U.S. counties. This compliance record sits alongside an unusually deep monitoring archive: 13,683 water-quality results have been logged across the county in the EPA Water Quality Portal over the past five years.

Consumer Guidance

Tap water in Washington County meets baseline safety standards, though the compliance record shows some violations worth watching. Washington County's drinking-water compliance score is 66.2 out of 100. The violation rate for Washington County is 2.9 per 100,000 people served. Running tap water for 30 seconds before drinking can reduce any localized lead exposure from household plumbing. Requesting your utility's most recent Consumer Confidence Report is the fastest way to identify which specific contaminants were flagged. E. coli is the leading impairment cause in Washington County's watershed. With 48 active water-quality monitoring sites in Washington County, data coverage is strong. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the NOLICHUCKY RIVER gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Washington County has poorer water quality than the average county in Tennessee. Its water score is 5.1 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 Washington 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 Washington County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Washington County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Washington County

Consumer Confidence Reports (TN)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in Tennessee

Clean Water Act §303(d)

Watershed Health

Impaired Water Bodies

63.4%

52 of 82 assessed

High 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

48

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

14K

13,683 total readings

Most Measured

  • Inorganics, Minor, Metals
  • Nutrient
  • Physical

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

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Water Cost Estimate

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Annual Total

$558

Monthly

$47

Water Bill

$558/yr

Filter Cost

$0/yr

Safety Grade for Washington 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 Washington County, Tennessee?
Washington County, Tennessee has a drinking-water quality grade of B with a score of 66.2/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 4 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 Washington County?
Washington County has 4 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 Washington County?
EPA ATTAINS assessments under Clean Water Act §303(d) indicate 63.4% of Washington County's 82 assessed water bodies are classified as impaired (52 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 Washington County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 13,683 measurements from 48 monitoring sites in Washington County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Inorganics, Minor, Metals, Nutrient, Physical. 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 Washington County water compare to the Tennessee average?
Washington County's SDWIS water quality score of 66.2/100 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 Washington County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Washington County has a water quality grade of B (66.2/100). This indicates good to excellent water quality with strong SDWIS compliance. 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).
Does Washington County have clean drinking water?
Washington County has 4 health-based drinking water violations according to EPA records. With a water quality score of 66.2/100 and grade B, the county's drinking water has had some compliance issues but continues to be monitored. Note: drinking-water compliance speaks to the public water system, not necessarily to the watershed itself — check the Watershed Health zone for ATTAINS §303(d) data.
How does Washington County rank for water quality in Tennessee?
Washington County ranks #68 out of 95 counties in Tennessee by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 66.2/100, 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

Hardin County

Tennessee

B

65.3

Water score

Greene County

Tennessee

B

64.8

Water score

Tipton County

Tennessee

B

69.0

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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