Know what’s in your water before anyone recommends equipment.
Sevier County is well country: about 42% of residents supplied their own water in 2015, one of the highest shares in East Tennessee[1]. In town, Sevierville treats French Broad River water in a membrane plant[2], and Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg run their own plants. Whether you’re on a well or city water, a free in-home test is the place to start.
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By USGS estimates, 40,479 of Sevier County’s 95,946 residents relied on their own water supply in 2015, about 42%[1]. That’s homes, farms and a lot of cabins and rentals in the hollows between Sevierville, Wears Valley and Cosby. No utility tests or treats a private well. EPA advises testing it every year for total coliform bacteria, nitrates, total dissolved solids and pH, and more often if there are babies, older adults or a pregnant or nursing person in the home[3].
What comes out of a Sevier County well depends on the rock it’s drilled into. The things we test for are hardness, iron and manganese stains, the rotten-egg smell of sulfur, and bacteria after heavy rain. Our well water treatment page explains each one.
| Homes on private wells | About 42% of Sevier County residents (USGS, 2015)[1]. |
|---|---|
| Sevierville source | French Broad River system, membrane filter plant[2]. |
| Sevierville chlorine | Average 1.4 ppm, range 0.21–2.13 ppm (2025); chlorine dioxide also used[2]. |
| Sevierville byproducts | Trihalomethanes: running average 42.3 ppb, samples 18.6–82.3 ppb (federal limit 80)[2]. |
| Sevierville PFAS | PFOS 1.8 ppt and PFHxA 1.9 ppt in 2024 testing, the only two of about 30 found[2]; below EPA’s UCMR 5 reporting levels[4]. |
| Pigeon Forge | Douglas Lake, plus a Waldens Creek intake; no PFAS or lithium detected in UCMR 5 testing (2023–2024)[5]. |
| Gatlinburg | West Prong Little Pigeon River plus water bought from Pigeon Forge; no lead or galvanized-requiring-replacement service lines[6]. |
| Kodak (Shady Grove UD) | Kodak-area customers get KUB water, listed at 94 ppm hardness, about 5.5 grains per gallon[7]. |
| Seymour (Knox-Chapman UD) | Hardness 57 ppm (40–74); lead 90th percentile 4.11 ppb, 1 of 29 sites above the action level (2024)[8]. |
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.
Sevierville’s plant filters French Broad River water through membranes and disinfects with chlorine and chlorine dioxide[2]. The city’s 2025 report lists lead at a 90th percentile of 2.97 ppb, with 0 of 30 homes above the action level[2]. It also lists two PFAS from 2024 testing, PFOS at 1.8 ppt and PFHxA at 1.9 ppt, and notes they were the only two found[2]. Both are below the levels EPA’s UCMR 5 program reports[4]. 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[9]. The city doesn’t publish a hardness number.
Pigeon Forge’s main source is Douglas Lake, with a second intake on Waldens Creek, and it can buy water from Sevierville[5]. Its UCMR 5 testing in 2023 and 2024 found no PFAS and no lithium[5]. Chlorine readings ran up to 2.70 ppm in 2025[5]. For rental owners, guest complaints are usually about taste, smell and spots, which filtration and a softener handle.
Gatlinburg treats water from the West Prong of the Little Pigeon River in a 2-million-gallon-a-day plant and buys more from Pigeon Forge[6]. The city reports no lead service lines and no galvanized lines needing replacement[6]. Some cabins above town aren’t on city water at all; they run on wells or springs that only the owner tests.
Kodak: Shady Grove Utility District buys its water. Customers in the Kodak area get KUB water, which the district lists at 94 ppm of hardness, about 5.5 grains[7]. Seymour: many homes are on Knox-Chapman Utility District, which uses the French Broad River system and reported 57 ppm of hardness[8]. Its 2024 lead sampling had 1 of 29 sites above the action level, with a 90th percentile of 4.11 ppb[8].
Sevierville, Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg water arrives disinfected and tested. The common requests are chlorine taste and smell, spots, and better drinking water for the family or for guests. That usually means filtration, sometimes a softener, and reverse osmosis at the sink.
A well or spring needs its own plan. We test first, then build in order: sediment and iron handling, softening if the water’s hard, UV light for bacteria, and reverse osmosis for drinking. For rentals, a working UV light and a yearly test give you a record to show guests.
TWA offers a free in-home water test across Sevier County. A licensed specialist checks hardness, pH, total dissolved solids and sediment at your tap and explains the results. Bacteria and nitrate need a certified lab, and we can help you arrange that. EPA advises testing a private well every year for coliform bacteria, nitrates, total dissolved solids and pH.
Sevierville’s 2025 report shows its membrane-filtered French Broad River water meeting federal standards, with 0 of 30 homes above the lead action level. It also reports PFOS at 1.8 ppt and PFHxA at 1.9 ppt from 2024 testing. That’s the legal picture. About 42% of Sevier County residents are on wells, which nobody tests unless the owner does.
Sevierville’s water report doesn’t publish a hardness number, so measure it at your tap. Nearby, Knox-Chapman Utility District reported 57 ppm and KUB water in the Kodak area is listed at 94 ppm. Wells are the bigger question: wells drilled into limestone often test harder than any city supply. A free in-home test gives your exact figure.
Both cities treat their own surface water and report meeting federal standards for 2025. Pigeon Forge found no PFAS or lithium in its UCMR 5 testing, and Gatlinburg reports no lead service lines. Many cabins above both towns run on private wells or springs instead, and those are only as safe as the owner’s last test.
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All sources opened November 2026.
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