Northwest Clay County Utility, 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.
About Northwest Clay County Utility
Northwest Clay County Utility serves about 4,437 people through 1,872 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 Clay County, Tennessee. EPA system ID: TN0000573; phone on file: 931-243-3549. They can tell you what your service line is made of and whether they pay to replace it.
Lead results over time
Against the period ending 2022 (1 ppb) the latest result is about the same. The highest 90th-percentile result EPA holds for Northwest Clay County Utility is 1 ppb across 4 monitoring periods, none of them over 15 ppb.
| Period ending | 90th-percentile lead |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 1 ppb |
| 2022 | 1 ppb |
| 2019 | 0.5 ppb |
| 2016 | 0.5 ppb |
How Northwest Clay County Utility 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. Northwest Clay County Utility's 1 ppb sits at the 43rd percentile in Tennessee and the 55th nationally (higher means more lead).
Nearby utilities
1 other system shares Clay County; 0 of them have a higher latest lead result than Northwest Clay County Utility. If you are unsure which one supplies your house, the name on your water bill decides it.
| System | People | Latest lead |
|---|---|---|
| Celina Water System | 6,160 | 1 ppb |
Your move
Test your own tap with a certified lab first-draw sample; Moss, 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 Northwest Clay County Utility 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. The action level is dropping - the 10 ppb rule from 2027.