Rutherford County Water Quality: 3 Cities Ranked by the Records
Rutherford County, Tennessee: 3 city reports built from EPA and utility records. A county has many suppliers; each city shows the system that serves it.
Highest result for each contaminant
One row per contaminant: the highest result any system in the county reported, against its limit. Open a row for the systems behind it.
Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA)Detected in 3 systems4.0 ng/L federal MCL (2024) · US EPAHighest6 ng/L
- MURFREESBORO WATER DEPARTMENT6 ng/LSample date: 2023-05-30 to 2024-02-20
- SMYRNA WATER SYSTEM5.8 ng/LSample date: 2023-01-23 to 2023-10-11
- LA VERGNE WATER SYSTEM5.5 ng/LSample date: 2023-05-15 to 2024-01-08
Lead (90th percentile)Detected in 3 systems15 µg/L federal action level · US EPAHighest1 µg/L
- LA VERGNE WATER SYSTEM1 µg/LMonitoring period: 2023–2025
- SMYRNA WATER SYSTEM1 µg/LMonitoring period: 2026–2028 (still open)
- MURFREESBORO WATER DEPARTMENT0.4 µg/LMonitoring period: 2026–2028 (still open)
Perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBS)Detected in 3 systems2,000 ng/L EPA health advisory (screening, not a legal limit) · US EPAHighest23 ng/L
- SMYRNA WATER SYSTEM23 ng/LSample date: 2023-01-23 to 2023-10-11
- LA VERGNE WATER SYSTEM16 ng/LSample date: 2023-05-15 to 2024-01-08
- MURFREESBORO WATER DEPARTMENT13.9 ng/LSample date: 2023-05-30 to 2024-02-20
Perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA)Detected in 3 systems400,000 ng/L Michigan EGLE state MCL (strictest US state) · Michigan EGLEHighest17 ng/L
- SMYRNA WATER SYSTEM17 ng/LSample date: 2023-01-23 to 2023-10-11
- MURFREESBORO WATER DEPARTMENT13.1 ng/LSample date: 2023-05-30 to 2024-02-20
- LA VERGNE WATER SYSTEM12 ng/LSample date: 2023-05-15 to 2024-01-08
Perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA)Detected in 3 systemsNo federal or state limit; shown for transparencyHighest10 ng/L
- SMYRNA WATER SYSTEM10 ng/LSample date: 2023-01-23 to 2023-10-11
- MURFREESBORO WATER DEPARTMENT8 ng/LSample date: 2023-05-30 to 2024-02-20
- LA VERGNE WATER SYSTEM6.7 ng/LSample date: 2023-05-15 to 2024-01-08
Perfluoropentanoic acid (PFPeA)Detected in 3 systemsNo federal or state limit; shown for transparencyHighest14 ng/L
- SMYRNA WATER SYSTEM14 ng/LSample date: 2023-01-23 to 2023-10-11
- MURFREESBORO WATER DEPARTMENT10.2 ng/LSample date: 2023-05-30 to 2024-02-20
- LA VERGNE WATER SYSTEM10 ng/LSample date: 2023-05-15 to 2024-01-08
25 substances tested, none detected in any systemShow
Tested in these 3 systems: LA VERGNE WATER SYSTEM, MURFREESBORO WATER DEPARTMENT, SMYRNA WATER SYSTEM
- 11-Chloroeicosafluoro-3-oxaundecane-1-sulfonic acid (11Cl-PF3OUdS)
- 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorodecane sulfonic acid (8:2 FTS)
- 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (4:2 FTS)
- 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (6:2 FTS)
- 4,8-Dioxa-3H-perfluorononanoic acid (ADONA)
- 9-Chlorohexadecafluoro-3-oxanone-1-sulfonic acid (9Cl-PF3ONS)
- Hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPO-DA) (GenX chemicals)
- Lithium
- N-ethyl perfluorooctanesulfonamidoacetic acid (NEtFOSAA)
- N-methyl perfluorooctanesulfonamidoacetic acid (NMeFOSAA)
- Nonafluoro-3,6-dioxaheptanoic acid (NFDHA)
- Perfluoro (2-ethoxyethane) sulfonic acid (PFEESA)
- Perfluoro-3-methoxypropanoic acid (PFMPA)
- Perfluoro-4-methoxybutanoic acid (PFMBA)
- Perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA)
- Perfluorododecanoic acid (PFDoA)
- Perfluoroheptanesulfonic acid (PFHpS)
- Perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA)
- Perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS)
- Perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA)
- Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS)
- Perfluoropentanesulfonic acid (PFPeS)
- Perfluorotetradecanoic acid (PFTA)
- Perfluorotridecanoic acid (PFTrDA)
- Perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUnA)
Cities ranked by the records
Ranked by the Purity Score of each city's main water system, highest first. Scores belong to water systems; there is no county score. The score is computed only from contaminants measured in the published EPA record, so this ranks the record, not which city's water is safest. How the score works.
0of 3 cities above the 15 µg/L action level
Based on each system's 90th-percentile result. Lead from household plumbing isn't in this record.
Lead in TennesseeLargest water systems
- MurfreesboroMURFREESBORO WATER DEPARTMENT · TN0000491114,331 served
- SmyrnaSMYRNA WATER SYSTEM · TN000063966,942 served
- La VergneLA VERGNE WATER SYSTEM · TN000038638,730 served
Frequently asked
How does Rutherford County tap water compare across cities?
PurityMap ranks 3 cities in Rutherford County by the Purity Score of each city's main water system, computed only from contaminants measured in the published EPA record. Scores belong to water systems, not to cities. The highest published score is Smyrna's main water system: SMYRNA WATER SYSTEM · PWSID TN0000639 · Purity Score 68 (Fair) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level. The ranking compares the records, not which city's water is safest, and your own tap can differ with household plumbing.
How many Rutherford County cities had a PFAS sample above a 2024 EPA limit?
3 of 3 Rutherford County city reports had a PFAS sample above a 2024 EPA limit in EPA's UCMR 5 testing, including Murfreesboro (PFOA 6 ng/L), Smyrna (PFOA 5.8 ng/L), La Vergne (PFOA 5.5 ng/L). That limit is judged on a yearly average, and water systems have until 2029 to meet it, so a single sample is not a violation. PFAS were detected at any level in 3.
Is there lead in Rutherford County tap water?
Utilities report lead as a 90th-percentile result from home taps. 3 of 3 Rutherford County cities reported a value above zero, and none was above the 15 µg/L federal action level. Lead usually comes from a building's own pipes and fixtures, so only a test at your tap tells you what you drink.
Have Rutherford County water systems had drinking-water violations?
1 city in Rutherford County has a health-based violation in the federal SDWIS record within about the last ten years. Each city report lists the contaminant, year and whether it was resolved.
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