Know what’s in your water before anyone recommends equipment.
Johnson City’s water comes from the Watauga River and Unicoi Springs, treated at two plants[1]. Its 2025 report shows it meeting federal standards, and EPA’s UCMR 5 testing found no PFAS at or above reporting levels at either plant[2]. The city doesn’t publish a hardness figure, so a free in-home test is the way to get yours.
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Johnson City runs two drinking water plants: one on the Watauga River and one at Unicoi Springs. Together they treat over 5.6 billion gallons a year and feed 105 storage reservoirs and 954 miles of water line[1]. The state’s source water assessment rates the Watauga River highly susceptible to contamination and Unicoi Springs moderately susceptible[1]. That rating is about the source, not the treated water at your tap.
Wells are less common here than in the counties to the south and west: about 7% of Washington County residents (8,309 of 126,302) supplied their own water in 2015[3].
| Sources | Watauga River and Unicoi Springs; two plants[1]. |
|---|---|
| Chlorine | Running annual average 1.95 ppm, range 0.32–2.43 ppm (2025)[1]. |
| Trihalomethanes | Running annual average 32 ppb, range 6–45 ppb (federal limit 80)[1]. |
| Haloacetic acids | Running annual average 18 ppb, range 4–28 ppb (federal limit 60)[1]. |
| Lead | 90th percentile 1.3 ppb; 1 of 51 samples above the 15 ppb action level (2023)[1]. |
| Copper | 90th percentile 0.200 ppm; 0 of 51 above the action level (2023)[1]. |
| PFAS (EPA UCMR 5) | No PFAS at or above EPA reporting levels at the Watauga River or Unicoi Springs plant (Dec 2023–Sep 2024)[2]. |
| Jonesborough PFAS (UCMR 5) | No PFAS at or above EPA reporting levels in 2025–2026 samples[2]. |
| Homes on private wells | About 7% of Washington County residents (USGS, 2015)[3]. |
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.
By the legal test, yes: every line of the city’s 2025 results table shows no violation[1]. Lead was low, with a 90th percentile of 1.3 ppb, though 1 of 51 homes sampled in 2023 was above the action level[1]. That pattern, low overall with one high home, usually points to plumbing in that one house.
The other side of the picture: Johnson City water arrives with chlorine, a running average of 1.95 ppm in 2025[1], plus low levels of the byproducts chlorine forms. Meeting the standard doesn’t mean you want those in your shower or your coffee. Whole-house filtration takes chlorine back out at the main line.
People search this a lot, and the honest answer is that the city’s report doesn’t publish a hardness number[1]. Websites that quote one for Johnson City aren’t citing the utility. Two different sources, a mountain river and a spring, can produce different water, and which plant feeds your street can change what you see. A free test at your sink gives you the real number, and it’s what we’d size a water softener to, if you need one.
EPA’s UCMR 5 program tested both Johnson City plants for 29 PFAS between December 2023 and September 2024. None was found at or above EPA’s reporting levels, which are 4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS[2]. For context, EPA’s limit for PFOA and for PFOS is 4 ppt, measured as a running annual average, with compliance due in 2029; a rule EPA proposed in May 2026 would let systems ask for an extension to 2031[4]. If you want an extra margin anyway, reverse osmosis at the kitchen tap is the common home choice.
Jonesborough has its own water department. Its 2025 report was revised in April 2026 and is posted on the town’s website, and EPA’s UCMR 5 samples from 2025 and 2026 showed no PFAS at or above reporting levels[2]. Homes in Gray, Telford and Limestone can be on Johnson City, Jonesborough or another district, so check the name on your bill before you read a report. Rural homes between them are the most likely to be on wells.
Johnson City and Jonesborough water is treated and tested. Most homes we see want chlorine out at the main line and reverse osmosis for drinking water, with a softener when the test shows enough hardness to matter.
About 7% of Washington County residents rely on wells[3]. EPA advises yearly tests for coliform bacteria, nitrates, total dissolved solids and pH[5]. See well water treatment.
Johnson City’s 2025 water quality report shows no violations, a lead 90th percentile of 1.3 ppb and no PFAS found at or above EPA reporting levels in UCMR 5 testing. That’s the legal answer. Your tap still carries chlorine at about 2 ppm and whatever your home’s plumbing adds, which a free in-home water test shows.
Johnson City’s water quality report doesn’t publish a hardness number, and figures you see online don’t come from the utility. The city draws from both the Watauga River and Unicoi Springs, which can differ. A free in-home test measures the hardness at your own tap, and that’s the number to size a softener to.
Johnson City posts its yearly water quality report through the Water and Sewer section of the city’s website. The 2025 report covers January through December 2025 and was published in June 2026. Jonesborough posts its own report on the town website. If your bill names another utility district, look for that district’s report instead.
EPA’s UCMR 5 program tested both Johnson City plants for 29 PFAS between December 2023 and September 2024 and found none at or above EPA’s reporting levels, which are 4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS. A certified lab test can measure lower levels at your own tap if you want that extra detail.
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All sources opened November 2026.
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