Big Creek Utility District, TN
Lead detected, under the action levels
Latest 90th-percentile lead: 0.6 ppb (monitoring period 2026-2028). The federal action level is 15 ppb today and drops to 10 ppb in Nov 2027; EPA's health goal is 0. Lead was measured in sampled homes but the 90th percentile is under both action levels. EPA's health goal for lead is zero, so test your own tap if your home was built before 1986 or anyone in it is pregnant or a young child.
About Big Creek Utility District
Big Creek Utility District serves about 9,185 people through 3,440 service connections, which makes it a medium-sized system under EPA's size classes. It is owned by a local government (city, town, county or district) and draws surface water, in Grundy County, Tennessee. EPA system ID: TN0000122; phone on file: 931-692-2505. Call that number and ask whether your address has a lead, galvanized or unknown service line.
Lead results over time
Against the period ending 2025 (1 ppb) the latest result is about the same. The highest 90th-percentile result EPA holds for Big Creek Utility District is 1.01 ppb across 5 monitoring periods, none of them over 15 ppb.
| Period ending | 90th-percentile lead |
|---|---|
| 2028 | 0.6 ppb |
| 2025 | 1 ppb |
| 2022 | 1 ppb |
| 2019 | 1.01 ppb |
| 2016 | 0.5 ppb |
How Big Creek Utility District compares
Of the 453 Tennessee systems with a lead result, the median latest reading is 1 ppb; 0 are over 15 ppb right now and 10 have gone over at some point. Big Creek Utility District's 0.6 ppb sits at the 16th percentile in Tennessee and the 45th nationally (higher means more lead).
Other water systems in Grundy County
2 other systems share Grundy County; 2 of them have a higher latest lead result than Big Creek Utility District. If you are unsure which one supplies your house, the name on your water bill decides it.
| System | People | Latest lead |
|---|---|---|
| Tracy City Water System | 5,692 | 0.7 ppb |
| Monteagle Public Utility Board | 4,179 | 1 ppb |
What to do in your house
Test your own tap with a certified lab first-draw sample; Altamont, TN may offer free or low-cost kits through the utility. If your own line is lead, replacing the private side runs about $1,200-$12,300 (EPA average about $4,700). Ask Big Creek Utility District whether it covers that cost before hiring anyone - many utilities now do.
These figures describe homes the utility sampled, not your tap. Only your service line record or a test of your own water answers the question for your house. Why sampled homes are the worst-case ones is in the guide to reading the number. Systems that went over once often dip back under; here is what that means.