Davidson County, Tennessee: drinking water report. Davidson County encompasses Nashville, the state capital and Tennessee's largest metropolitan area.
Davidson County encompasses Nashville, the state capital and Tennessee's largest metropolitan area. The Metro Water Services system draws from the Cumberland River and serves roughly 650,000 residents across Nashville and surrounding communities including Antioch, Hermitage, Madison, and Belle Meade. This centralized municipal system provides water to most county residents, though some outer areas rely on smaller utilities or private wells.
Nashville's water treatment facilities face typical challenges for a growing Southern city dependent on surface water. The Cumberland River carries agricultural runoff from upstream counties, industrial discharge, and urban stormwater, requiring extensive filtration and disinfection. Recent EPA monitoring under the Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule has detected PFAS compounds in Tennessee municipal systems at concentrations that vary seasonally. These forever chemicals originate from firefighting foam at Nashville International Airport, industrial sites in the Cumberland Industrial Crescent, and consumer products washing into the watershed.
Lead concerns in Davidson County center on the housing stock rather than treatment quality. Neighborhoods built before 1986 (including East Nashville, North Nashville, Germantown, and older sections of Green Hills) contain service lines and household plumbing with lead solder. Metro Water Services maintains water chemistry to reduce corrosion, but lead can still leach during low-flow periods or after plumbing work. Testing in schools and daycare centers has identified elevated lead in older fountain fixtures, prompting fixture replacements in Metro Nashville Public Schools buildings.
Disinfection byproducts form when chlorine reacts with organic matter in Cumberland River water. Total trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids typically remain below EPA maximums but fluctuate with river conditions and seasonal algae blooms. Summer months see higher DBP formation as warmer temperatures increase organic decomposition. The system's multiple treatment plants (Omohundro in Bellshire, K.R. Harrington downtown) show variation in contaminant levels based on intake location and treatment capacity.
Test your tap water if you live in pre-1986 housing or have concerns about PFAS exposure from proximity to industrial areas or the airport. Check your water for current data on your specific ZIP code, review the water filter guide for treatment options that address lead and PFAS, and access the detailed report for comprehensive contaminant breakdowns. The Tennessee state page provides broader context on water challenges across Middle Tennessee and regulatory oversight by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation.
Drinking water is one exposure route. These federal datasets also cover Davidson County, TN.
The EPA places Davidson County, TN in Zone 1 - the EPA's highest-risk category, where the predicted average indoor radon level is above 4 pCi/L. Zone maps predict an area's radon potential from geology and existing indoor readings; they say nothing about a specific house. Testing is the only way to know your own level.
44% of homes in Davidson County, TN were built before 1980, and 10% before 1950. Residential lead paint was banned in 1978, so housing age is the strongest available proxy for lead-paint exposure. This describes the county's housing stock, not any one home.
Modelled annual fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) in Davidson County, TN averages 8.4 µg/m³, within the EPA's annual standard of 9 µg/m³. These are CDC modelled county estimates rather than readings from a specific monitor.
How radon zones work · Air quality by county · Lead exposure guide