Know what’s in your water before anyone recommends equipment.
Oak Ridge’s city water comes from Melton Hill Lake on the Clinch River, and its 2025 report shows it meeting federal standards[1]. In EPA’s UCMR 5 testing the city had no PFAS at or above EPA reporting levels[2]. Because of the area’s federal history, many people still ask whether the water is safe, so here are the facts and the official sources behind them.
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The City of Oak Ridge draws surface water from Melton Hill Lake. The city adds a corrosion inhibitor to protect the pipes in its distribution system[1]. Clinton Utilities Board draws from the Clinch River too[3]. Very few homes here are on wells: about 6% of Anderson County residents (4,800 of 75,749) by USGS estimates[4].
| Oak Ridge source | Melton Hill Lake (Clinch River)[1]. |
|---|---|
| Oak Ridge chlorine | Average 2.27 ppm, range 1.03–3.53 ppm (2025)[1]. |
| Oak Ridge byproducts | Trihalomethanes 46 ppb (26–54); haloacetic acids 31 ppb (21–33)[1]. |
| Oak Ridge lead | 90th percentile 2.91 ppb; 1 of 30 homes above the 15 ppb action level, highest single result 143 ppb (2024 sampling)[1]. |
| Oak Ridge PFAS (UCMR 5) | No PFAS at or above EPA reporting levels in samples from June 2024 to March 2025[2]. |
| Clinton source | Clinch River[3]. |
| Clinton byproducts | Trihalomethanes: highest running average 59 ppb; haloacetic acids 48 ppb (2025)[3]. |
| Clinton lead | 90th percentile 1.4 ppb; no home above the action level; no lead service lines in the system[3]. |
| Homes on private wells | About 6% of Anderson County residents (USGS, 2015)[4]. |
Numbers come from each utility’s own report and EPA/USGS data, checked November 2026. Water changes from street to street, so book a free test for your home.
It’s a fair question in a city built around the Manhattan Project. The Oak Ridge Reservation is on EPA’s National Priorities List of Superfund sites. Under a 1991 agreement among DOE, EPA and the State of Tennessee, TDEC’s Oak Ridge office reviews DOE’s cleanup work on the 32,000-acre reservation and runs its own monitoring, both on and off the reservation[5]. If you want to read about the cleanup itself, TDEC’s page is the place to start.
The city’s drinking water report covers what matters at your tap: the city met federal standards in 2025[1], and its UCMR 5 samples showed no PFAS at or above EPA reporting levels[2]. What a utility report can’t tell you is what your own plumbing adds, or what’s in a private well.
Oak Ridge’s 2024 lead sampling had a 90th percentile of 2.91 ppb, well below the 15 ppb action level, but one home tested at 143 ppb[1]. Results like that almost always trace to plumbing inside or close to a single house: old solder, brass fixtures or a service line. If your home was built before the late 1980s, ask for a certified lab lead test. Reverse osmosis at the kitchen tap is one of the most common home answers for lead in drinking water.
Oak Ridge water carried 1.03 to 3.53 ppm of chlorine in 2025, among the higher readings in the Knoxville area[1]. Chlorine does its job on the way to you. After that, most families would rather not shower in it or taste it in their tea. Whole-house filtration removes it where water enters the house.
Clinton Utilities Board treats Clinch River water; its report lists results for the city system and for the I-75 industrial park area. Its 2025 report lists a lead 90th percentile of 1.4 ppb, no homes above the action level and no lead service lines in the system[3]. Its disinfection byproducts were higher than Oak Ridge’s: a highest trihalomethane running average of 59 ppb and haloacetic acids of 48 ppb, both under the federal limits[3]. EPA’s UCMR 5 data show no PFAS at or above reporting levels for Clinton[2].
Oak Ridge and Clinton water is treated lake and river water. The usual concerns are chlorine, its byproducts and household lead from older plumbing. Filtration at the main line and reverse osmosis at the sink cover all three.
About 6% of Anderson County residents use wells[4]. EPA advises yearly tests for coliform bacteria, nitrates, total dissolved solids and pH[6]. If you’re near the reservation and on a well, add a conversation about lab testing for anything beyond that list.
The City of Oak Ridge reports that its Melton Hill Lake water met federal standards in 2025, and EPA’s UCMR 5 data show no PFAS at or above reporting levels. The DOE reservation’s cleanup is overseen separately by TDEC under a 1991 agreement. Your tap can still pick up lead from older plumbing, so a home test makes sense.
The city’s drinking water report doesn’t list any contaminant above federal limits for 2025, and EPA’s PFAS testing found none above reporting levels. TDEC’s Oak Ridge office runs independent monitoring on and off the reservation and publishes its findings. For questions about the cleanup itself, TDEC is the official source. For your own tap, test it.
Oak Ridge’s 2024 sampling found a 90th percentile of 2.91 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level. One home of 30 tested above it, at 143 ppb. High results like that usually come from the plumbing in one house, not the treatment plant. Older homes should consider a certified lab lead test and a drinking water system.
Clinton Utilities Board treats water from the Clinch River. Its 2026 report covers 2025 and lists a lead 90th percentile of 1.4 ppb, no lead service lines in the system and trihalomethanes with a highest running average of 59 ppb. EPA’s UCMR 5 data show no PFAS at or above reporting levels for the utility.
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