Know what’s in your water before anyone recommends equipment.
Kingsport treats water from the South Fork Holston River, and its 2025 report shows no violations[1]. The report also lists six PFAS found at low levels in 2023, and EPA’s database shows one sample with PFOS at 5.9 ppt[1,2]. Across the line in Hawkins County, about 37% of residents are on wells[3]. A free in-home test shows where your home stands.
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Kingsport draws surface water from the South Fork Holston River. It disinfects with chlorine, adds a zinc-orthophosphate corrosion inhibitor to protect pipes, and reports 16 years of the Partnership for Safe Water Director’s Award[1]. The city says it has no records of lead service lines[1]. Sullivan County is almost all on public water: about 1% of residents used wells in 2015[3].
| Source | South Fork Holston River[1]. |
|---|---|
| Chlorine | 2.00 ppm, range 1.30–2.00 ppm (2025)[1]. |
| Disinfection byproducts | Trihalomethanes 49.4 ppb (23.8–54.6); haloacetic acids 46.8 ppb (19.1–59.0)[1]. |
| Lead and copper | Lead 90th percentile under 2 ppb; copper 0.421 ppm (2023)[1]. |
| PFAS in Kingsport’s report | 2023 detections: PFOA 1.7–2.1, PFOS 1.4–2.2, PFBS 2.0–2.6, PFBA 1.3–2.1, PFHxA 2.0–2.9, PFPeA 1.5–2.0 ppt[1]. |
| PFOS in EPA’s database | 5.9 ppt in one sample (July 17, 2023) at the entry point EPA lists as the Johnson City WD connection[2]. |
| Hawkins County (First UD) | Holston River; trihalomethanes 77.0 ppb average, range 21.0–91.7 ppb (2025; federal limit 80)[4]. |
| Hawkins County PFAS | PFBA 8.5 ppt in one sample (April 8, 2024); no PFOA or PFOS at or above reporting levels[2]. |
| Homes on private wells | Hawkins 37%, Sullivan 1% (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 in Kingsport’s 2025 results table is marked “no” for violations, and lead stayed under 2 ppb at the 90th percentile[1]. The city also does something many utilities don’t: it prints all of its UCMR 5 PFAS detections. Six PFAS showed up in 2023 at 1.3 to 2.9 parts per trillion[1].
EPA’s national UCMR 5 database adds one more number: PFOS at 5.9 ppt in a July 17, 2023 sample taken at the entry point EPA labels as the Johnson City WD connection[2]. 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[5]. A single sample isn’t a running average or a violation. It’s a good reason to ask about reverse osmosis at the kitchen tap if PFAS is on your mind.
Chlorine in Kingsport’s water ran 1.30 to 2.00 ppm in 2025, and the two main disinfection byproduct groups averaged 49.4 ppb and 46.8 ppb[1]. Those are under federal limits, and they’re also the reason so many Kingsport homes filter chlorine out at the main line with whole-house filtration. The report doesn’t publish a hardness number, so we measure it at your sink.
West of Kingsport, about 37% of Hawkins County residents (21,089 of 56,471) supplied their own water in 2015[3]. That’s one of the highest well shares in East Tennessee. EPA advises testing a private well every year for coliform bacteria, nitrates, total dissolved solids and pH[6].
Homes on First Utility District of Hawkins County get treated Holston River water. Its 2025 report lists trihalomethanes averaging 77.0 ppb, with samples up to 91.7 ppb; compliance is based on the running average, which stayed under the 80 ppb limit[4]. Sodium was 22.7 ppm[4]. In EPA’s UCMR 5 testing the district had PFBA at 8.5 ppt in one sample and no PFOA or PFOS at or above reporting levels[2].
Kingsport and First UD water is treated river water. The common requests are chlorine and byproducts filtered at the main line and reverse osmosis for drinking water, with a softener when the test calls for it.
Hawkins County wells need their own plan: we test for hardness, iron, sulfur smell and pH, then build treatment in order, with UV light for bacteria and reverse osmosis for drinking. See well water treatment.
Kingsport’s 2025 report shows no violations, lead under 2 ppb at the 90th percentile and six PFAS at 1.3 to 2.9 ppt in 2023 testing. EPA’s database also shows PFOS at 5.9 ppt in one July 2023 sample at the Johnson City connection. EPA’s 4 ppt PFOS limit applies to a running annual average starting in 2029.
Kingsport posts its Annual Water Quality Report on the city website, kingsporttn.gov. The 2025 report, revised and posted in May 2026, covers 2025 and includes the city’s UCMR 5 PFAS results from 2023. If you live outside the city, check whether your bill names a utility district, which publishes its own report.
Yes. By USGS estimates for 2015, about 37% of Hawkins County residents supplied their own water, one of the highest shares in East Tennessee. No utility tests a private well. EPA advises yearly testing for coliform bacteria, nitrates, total dissolved solids and pH. TWA’s in-home water test is free and covers Church Hill, Mount Carmel and Rogersville.
Kingsport’s water quality report doesn’t publish a hardness number, so any figure you see online isn’t from the utility. The South Fork Holston River supplies the city, and wells in Hawkins County can test very differently. The most reliable way to know your number is a free in-home test at your tap.
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