First U.D. Of Carter County, TN
Lead detected, under the action levels
Latest 90th-percentile lead: 1 ppb (monitoring period 2023-2025). 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.
Who runs the water here
First U.D. Of Carter County serves about 9,143 people through 4,010 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 Carter County, Tennessee. EPA system ID: TN0000094; phone on file: 423-474-3519. Call that number and ask whether your address has a lead, galvanized or unknown service line.
First U.D. Of Carter County's lead record
Against the period ending 2022 (1 ppb) the latest result is about the same. The highest 90th-percentile result EPA holds for First U.D. Of Carter County is 3.29 ppb across 4 monitoring periods, none of them over 15 ppb.
| Period ending | 90th-percentile lead |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 1 ppb |
| 2022 | 1 ppb |
| 2019 | 1.79 ppb |
| 2016 | 3.29 ppb |
Against other Tennessee systems
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. First U.D. Of Carter County's 1 ppb sits at the 54th percentile in Tennessee and the 55th nationally (higher means more lead).
Neighbouring systems
8 other systems share Carter County; 1 of them has a higher latest lead result than First U.D. Of Carter County. If you are unsure which one supplies your house, the name on your water bill decides it.
| System | People | Latest lead |
|---|---|---|
| Elizabethton Water Dept | 32,490 | 1 ppb |
| South Elizabethton U.D. | 6,244 | 1 ppb |
| Hampton Utility District | 4,354 | 2.7 ppb |
| Siam Utility District | 3,319 | 0.31 ppb |
| North Elizabethton Water Co-Op | 1,555 | 1 ppb |
| Roan Mountain Utility District | 1,226 | 1 ppb |
| Watauga River Reg Water Auth | 353 | 1 ppb |
| Peters Hollow Water System | 196 | 1 ppb |
What to do in your house
Test your own tap with a certified lab first-draw sample; Elizabethton, 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 First U.D. Of Carter County 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. Size matters more than most people expect: small vs large water systems.