Russellville Whitesburg U.D., TN
Lead detected, under the action levels
Latest 90th-percentile lead: 1 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 Russellville Whitesburg U.D.
Russellville Whitesburg U.D. serves about 20,197 people through 7,798 service connections, which makes it a large system under EPA's size classes. It is owned by a local government (city, town, county or district) and draws surface water, in Hamblen County, Tennessee. EPA system ID: TN0000598; phone on file: 423-586-2232. 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 Russellville Whitesburg U.D. is 2.1 ppb across 5 monitoring periods, none of them over 15 ppb.
| Period ending | 90th-percentile lead |
|---|---|
| 2028 | 1 ppb |
| 2025 | 1 ppb |
| 2022 | 2.1 ppb |
| 2019 | 1.07 ppb |
| 2016 | 2 ppb |
How Russellville Whitesburg U.D. 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. Russellville Whitesburg U.D.'s 1 ppb sits at the 67th percentile in Tennessee and the 55th nationally (higher means more lead).
Other water systems in Hamblen County
3 other systems share Hamblen County; 1 of them has a higher latest lead result than Russellville Whitesburg U.D.. If you are unsure which one supplies your house, the name on your water bill decides it.
| System | People | Latest lead |
|---|---|---|
| Morristown Utilities Commission | 39,883 | 2.7 ppb |
| Alpha-Talbott Utility District | 19,075 | 1 ppb |
| Witt Utility District | 5,771 | 1 ppb |
Your move
Test your own tap with a certified lab first-draw sample; Russellville, 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 Russellville Whitesburg U.D. 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.