Is Decatur, TN tap water safe?
The short answer
Neither of the 2 utilities serving Decatur has a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and CDC’s records.
Watts Bar Utility District, which serves the most people here, has 2 results above the health goal. The worst: Arsenic at 1.0 ppb, above the health goal. Health goals are stricter than legal limits and are not enforced.
A town can be served by more than one utility, and some homes are on private wells. The name on your water bill tells you which is yours, and your ZIP code narrows it down. They are listed by how many people each serves in Decatur’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
Watts Bar Utility District
Tennessee · serves 16,253 people · under 100 in Decatur
2 results above the health goal. The worst: Arsenic at 1.0 ppb, above the health goal.
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Decatur Water Dept
Tennessee · serves 6,451 people · under 100 in Decatur
2 results above the health goal. The worst: Arsenic at 1.0 ppb, above the health goal.
No health-based violations since 2016
What handles it
Each of these is certified, on a certifier’s listing, for a result above a line in Watts Bar Utility District’s water, which serves the most people here. Another utility’s report names what handles its own results.
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Countertop reverse osmosis
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 58NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 4, 2026
Certified for: Arsenic, Lead
Aquasana SmartFlow Reverse Osmosis (AQ-SFRO2)
Under-sink reverse osmosis
- WQA listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 58NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 9, 2026
Certified for: Arsenic, Lead
Brondell Capella RC250 Reverse Osmosis System
Under-sink reverse osmosis
- WQA listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 58NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 9, 2026
Certified for: Arsenic, Lead
Water testing near Decatur
The 3 labs Tennessee certifies closest to Decatur, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
AIRL, Inc.
Cleveland, TN · about 19 miles
Certified for bacteria, metals, minerals and other inorganics
Assured Bio Labs, LLC
Oak Ridge, TN · about 44 miles
Certified for bacteria
DOE Y-12 CNS National Security Complex
Oak Ridge, TN · about 44 miles
Certified for metals, minerals and other inorganics, disinfection byproducts, radioactivity
Tennessee Department of Health: Water quality testing for eligible private wells and springs, through the program formerly called SafeWATCH. Contact the department's Waterborne Disease Team to ask about eligibility. Free for eligible wells and springs. Waterborne Diseases, Tennessee Department of Health.
All 37 certified labs for TennesseeZIP codes in Decatur
Which ZIP codes are in Decatur: Census 2020 relationship files. Which utilities serve them, and how many people: EPA SDWIS and EPA’s service area map. Each utility’s results: EPA UCMR 5, EPA SDWIS, and EPA’s and the state’s compliance monitoring, as its report lists them. How they are measured: methodology. Certified labs: TDEC, commercial laboratories certified for drinking water analysis; distances from the Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation area gazetteer.
Near Decatur
Towns nearby with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read Watts Bar Utility District’s full reportEvery result with its dates, the violations, and the certification claim that handles each finding.Open the report
- Filters for ArsenicRanked by certification and what they cost over five years.The best reverse osmosis systems, ranked
- On a private well?No utility tests a well. A certified lab test is the first step.How to test well water