In the fall of 2023, members of the Sierra Club's Tennessee chapter collected water samples from 20 lakes and rivers in the northeastern corner of the state — around Kingsport and Johnson City. They also collected two samples from local drinking water sources.
Sixty percent of the surface water samples came back positive for PFAS contamination. The highest concentrations showed up downstream from known industrial sources, including the Holston Army Ammunition Plant.
If you live in the Tri-Cities area, this is not a national news story with a Tennessee dateline. These are the lakes and rivers in your backyard. Some of them feed the water supply for your city.
What PFAS Are and Why They Matter
PFAS — per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances — are a class of thousands of synthetic chemicals that have been manufactured and used in industrial and consumer products since the 1940s. They show up in nonstick cookware, food packaging, firefighting foam, waterproof clothing, and countless other applications. What they all share is an extremely stable chemical bond that does not break down in the environment or in the human body. "Forever chemicals" is not marketing language. It is an accurate description of how they behave.
Research has linked PFAS exposure to a range of health concerns: certain cancers, thyroid disease, immune system disruption, developmental effects in children, and complications with fertility and pregnancy. In 2022, the EPA concluded that virtually any exposure to PFOA and PFOS — the two most studied PFAS compounds — carries some degree of risk.
The Local Picture
The Sierra Club's December 2023 report on northeast Tennessee identified multiple contamination sources in this region.
The Holston Army Ammunition Plant, located along the Holston River in Kingsport, is identified as a significant source. Testing found elevated PFAS concentrations in water sampled downstream from the facility. The Holston River is a tributary to the Tennessee River and part of the surface water network that feeds regional water systems.
Boone Lake — a popular local reservoir — tested positive for PFAS contamination in the Sierra Club's sampling.
In Sullivan County, the Sierra Club found PFAS contamination in soil, adjacent fields, and groundwater near sites where sewage sludge from the Bristol TN/VA wastewater treatment plant has been applied as fertilizer. A separate Sierra Club analysis of sludge from that Bristol facility found what the organization described as "extremely high concentrations of toxic PFAS chemicals." The PFAS concentrations in the groundwater at those sites exceeded the EPA's drinking water standard for PFOA — meaning the water near those application sites would require treatment before it is safe to drink.
This is how PFAS moves from industrial and municipal sources into the environment: through rivers, through groundwater, through the practice of applying treated sewage sludge — which can carry PFAS — onto farmland and open spaces. The sludge practice is widespread. In Tennessee, as in most states, it is legal and common.
Where the Regulations Stand
In April 2024, the EPA finalized the first legally enforceable federal limits for PFAS in drinking water — a maximum of 4 parts per trillion for PFOA and PFOS, the two most common PFAS compounds.
In May 2025, the EPA announced modifications to that rule. The 4 ppt limits for PFOA and PFOS were retained, but the compliance deadline was extended from 2029 to 2031. The agency also pulled back on regulations for four other PFAS compounds, which will now go through additional rulemaking. Those four — PFHxS, PFNA, GenX, and PFBS — are not subject to enforceable federal limits while that process plays out.
What this means in practical terms: utilities must complete initial monitoring by 2027 and are required to meet the PFOA/PFOS limits by 2031. Until then, a utility can have PFAS levels above the limit in its water and face no enforcement action. And private well owners face no regulatory requirement at any point — no federal rule governs what is in a private well.
The reality is that from the time PFAS were identified as a concern to the time utilities will actually be required to have treated water at the tap, the gap spans decades. Homeowners who want to act now cannot wait for the system to catch up.
Municipal Water vs. Well Water — Two Different Situations
If you are on a municipal water system, your utility is required to test for PFAS and report results beginning in 2027. Until then, you can look up your utility in the EWG Tap Water Database — it is the best publicly available tool for seeing what has been detected in your local water. It shows detected levels compared to EWG's own health-based guidelines, which are often stricter than federal limits.
If you are on a private well, the situation is more urgent. There is no monitoring requirement, no reporting requirement, and no regulatory protection. If you live near a site where sewage sludge has been applied — farmland, open spaces in Sullivan County or surrounding areas — your well water may be at elevated risk. The TDEC interactive map of biosolid application sites can help you identify whether your property is in the vicinity of known application areas.
For well owners near any of the contamination sources identified in northeast Tennessee, getting your water tested is not precautionary — it is straightforward due diligence.
What Actually Removes PFAS
The good news is that the technology exists. Two treatment methods have strong evidence for PFAS removal:
Reverse osmosis is the most comprehensive option. RO membranes remove PFOA, PFOS, and a wide range of other PFAS compounds to very low levels. A point-of-use RO system under the kitchen sink addresses drinking and cooking water directly.
Granular activated carbon (GAC) and high-capacity carbon block filters are effective at reducing PFAS, particularly PFOA and PFOS, though performance varies by system and the specific PFAS compounds present. GAC is the primary treatment method most large utilities will install to meet the 2031 deadline.
Standard pitcher filters, refrigerator filters, and basic faucet-mounted carbon filters are generally not certified to remove PFAS at meaningful levels. If PFAS removal is your goal, the system needs to be certified to NSF/ANSI Standard 58 (for RO) or NSF/ANSI Standard 53 (for carbon-based systems), with PFAS specifically listed as a treated contaminant.
What to Do Now
You do not need to wait for 2027 monitoring requirements or 2031 compliance deadlines to find out what is in your water.
If you are on city water, look up your utility on the EWG Tap Water Database as a starting point. Then get your water tested in your home — utility averages do not tell you what is coming out of your specific tap.
If you are on a well, get it tested. Particularly if you are in Sullivan County, near the Holston River corridor, or in any area where agricultural land use is adjacent to your property.
Mountain View Pure Water and Air offers free in-home water testing throughout the Tri-Cities and the surrounding region. We test your water, show you the results, and walk you through what they mean for your family. If treatment makes sense, we explain the options. If it does not, we tell you that too.
Schedule your free water test at mvpwater.net or call 423-218-9361.
