Sullivan County Water Quality: 2 Cities Ranked by the Records
Sullivan County, Tennessee: 2 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.
LithiumDetected in 1 system of 2 tested10 µg/L EPA health reference level (screening, not a legal limit) · US EPAHighest76.6 µg/L
- KINGSPORT WATER DEPT76.6 µg/LSample date: 2023-02-01 to 2023-10-09
- BRISTOL DEPT OF UTILITIESNot detected · below 9.0 µg/L lab reporting limitSample date: 2024-09-09 to 2025-06-04
Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS)Detected in 1 system of 2 tested4.0 ng/L federal MCL (2024) · US EPAHighest5.9 ng/L
- KINGSPORT WATER DEPT5.9 ng/LSample date: 2023-02-01 to 2023-11-20
- BRISTOL DEPT OF UTILITIESNot detected · below 4.0 ng/L lab reporting limitSample date: 2024-09-09 to 2025-06-04
Lead (90th percentile)Detected in 2 systems15 µg/L federal action level · US EPAHighest1 µg/L
- BRISTOL DEPT OF UTILITIES1 µg/LMonitoring period: 2026–2028 (still open)
- KINGSPORT WATER DEPT1 µg/LMonitoring period: 2026–2028 (still open)
28 PFAS tested, none detected in any systemShow
Tested in these 2 systems: BRISTOL DEPT OF UTILITIES, KINGSPORT WATER DEPT
- 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)
- 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)
- Perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBS)
- Perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA)
- Perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA)
- Perfluorododecanoic acid (PFDoA)
- Perfluoroheptanesulfonic acid (PFHpS)
- Perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA)
- Perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS)
- Perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA)
- Perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA)
- Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA)
- Perfluoropentanesulfonic acid (PFPeS)
- Perfluoropentanoic acid (PFPeA)
- 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 2 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
Frequently asked
How does Sullivan County tap water compare across cities?
PurityMap ranks 2 cities in Sullivan 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 Bristol's main water system: BRISTOL DEPT OF UTILITIES · PWSID TN0000073 · Purity Score 99 (Excellent) · 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 Sullivan County cities had a PFAS sample above a 2024 EPA limit?
1 of 2 Sullivan County city reports had a PFAS sample above a 2024 EPA limit in EPA's UCMR 5 testing, including Kingsport (PFOS 5.9 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 1.
Is there lead in Sullivan County tap water?
Utilities report lead as a 90th-percentile result from home taps. 2 of 2 Sullivan 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.
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