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Knox County Utility Commission water quality report, rewritten

Serves
8,313
Connections
2,862
Water source
Surface water
Based in
Barbourville, KY
County
Knox
Owner
Local government
The 13 ZIP codes it serves

40759, 40763, 40769, 40903, 40906, 40915, 40921, 40930, 40935, 40977, 40982, 40995, 40997

PWSID KY06101102026 edition · EPA data

Read this first

  • Lithium (above EPA’s health benchmark) was found in two of 4 samples, highest 14.3 ppb. Above EPA’s health reference level of 10 ppb, a screening level rather than an enforceable limit.

2 health-based violations since 2016. Details are below.

What was found

Highlighted: above the health goal, or EPA’s health benchmark where there is no goal. Circled: above the legal limit in at least one sample, or the action level. Every scale puts that line at its middle.

14.3ppb

Highest of 4 samples; found in two

Above EPA’s health reference level of 10 ppb, a screening level rather than an enforceable limit.

What handles it

No certification claim covers this compound yet.

EPA UCMR 5, samples taken from July 8, 2025 to Oct. 7, 2025. Each blue tick is one sample where it was found.

Tested and not found

Below EPA’s minimum reporting level in every sample taken from Jan. 6, 2025 to Oct. 7, 2025. Not found means not measured above that level, which is not the same as zero.

All 30 compounds tested and not found
  • 11Cl-PF3OUdS
  • 4:2 FTS
  • 6:2 FTS
  • 8:2 FTS
  • 9Cl-PF3ONS
  • ADONA
  • HFPO-DA (GenX)
  • Lead
  • NEtFOSAA
  • NFDHA
  • NMeFOSAA
  • PFBA
  • PFBS
  • PFDA
  • PFDoA
  • PFEESA
  • PFHpA
  • PFHpS
  • PFHxA
  • PFHxS
  • PFMBA
  • PFMPA
  • PFNA
  • PFOA
  • PFOS
  • PFPeA
  • PFPeS
  • PFTA
  • PFTrDA
  • PFUnA

Violations since 2016

Contaminant or ruleTypePeriodMeasuredStatus
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5)The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, AverageJuly 1, 2025 to Sept. 30, 20250.069 MG/LResolved
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5)The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, AverageApril 1, 2025 to June 30, 20250.061 MG/LResolved
Health-based violations only. Resolved and archived mean the utility returned to compliance or the state closed the record. 6 monitoring or reporting violations not shown.

What this report cannot tell you

  • Levels of everything else. Federal bulk data carries results for PFAS, lithium, lead and copper, and violations for the rest. Nitrate, arsenic, disinfection byproducts and other levels are in Knox County Utility Commission’s own annual report, which it must send you every year.
  • Your own plumbing. Lead results are the 90th percentile across homes the utility samples. Your home’s service line, solder and fixtures decide yours. A certified lab test is the only way to know.
  • Anything after the latest data. SDWIS data is from 2026 Q2; UCMR 5 samples are from Jan. 6, 2025 to Oct. 7, 2025.

What to do next

  1. Read up on Lithium

    What each one does to health, where it comes from, and the certification claim that addresses it.

    About Lithium

  2. Get the utility’s own report

    Knox County Utility Commission must send you a water quality report every year. It lists nitrate, arsenic and byproduct levels this page cannot.

    How to read it

  3. Test your own tap for lead

    Your service line, solder and fixtures decide the lead at your faucet, not the utility’s average.

    Lead in your water: what to do

  4. Decide if you want a filter at all

    A filter for taste or chlorine is a preference, not a need. The standards say what each kind can do.

    NSF/ANSI standards, decoded

Other Kentucky utilities

All Kentucky utilities

Sources