Know what’s in your water before anyone recommends equipment.
Maryville’s city water comes from the Little River, which starts in the Great Smoky Mountains[1], and it’s on the soft side: the city reported an average hardness of 56 mg/L for 2024[2]. Alcoa also uses the Little River, while South Blount Utility District draws from Tellico Lake, so your numbers depend on your utility. A free in-home test tells you exactly what reaches your tap.
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Blount County’s towns don’t all drink the same water.
Outside those lines, many Blount County homes are on wells: about 12% of residents (15,688 of 127,253) by USGS estimates for 2015[5].
| Maryville hardness | 56 mg/L average in 2024, about 3.3 grains per gallon[2]. USGS calls 0–60 mg/L soft[6]. |
|---|---|
| Maryville chlorine | Average 1.72 ppm, range 0.42–2.43 ppm (2025)[1]. |
| Maryville byproducts | Trihalomethanes: highest running average 58.8 ppb, samples 15.1–87.4 ppb (federal limit 80)[1]. |
| Maryville lead | 90th percentile 0.5 ppb. One of 30 homes was above the 15 ppb action level; its repeat sample was 1.3 ppb, and the city suspects a sampling error[1]. |
| South Blount hardness | 49 ppm average (2025)[4]. |
| South Blount lead | 90th percentile 4.0 ppb; 2 of 30 homes above the 15 ppb action level (2024 sampling)[4]. |
| Alcoa | Chlorine 1.83 ppm average; trihalomethanes highest running average 25 ppb; lead 1.00 ppb with 0 of 30 sites over the action level (2023)[3]. |
| PFAS (EPA UCMR 5) | No PFAS at or above EPA reporting levels for Maryville, Alcoa or South Blount[7]. |
| Homes on private wells | About 12% of Blount County residents (USGS, 2015)[5]. |
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.
Not much. Maryville’s 2024 average of 56 mg/L is about 3.3 grains per gallon[2], which falls in the soft band on the USGS scale[6], though the city’s own report calls it moderately hard. South Blount reported 49 ppm[4]. On water this soft, filtration often matters more than softening. Wells are a different matter: Blount County wells drilled into limestone can test much harder than any city supply, which is why we measure before recommending a water softener.
Maryville’s water reached homes with 0.42 to 2.43 ppm of chlorine in 2025[1]. Its highest trihalomethane running average was 58.8 ppb, and one sample reached 87.4 ppb[1]. Compliance is judged on the running average, so that single sample isn’t a breach. It does show why people who want chlorine and its byproducts out of their shower and drinking water choose whole-house filtration with reverse osmosis at the sink.
South Blount’s 2026 report covers 2025 and is worth reading in full. It lists two positive total coliform samples on May 14 and 15, 2025, one of them positive for E. coli; the district completed the required assessment and corrective action[4]. Its 2024 lead sampling found 2 of 30 homes above the 15 ppb action level, with a 90th percentile of 4.0 ppb[4]. Lead almost always comes from plumbing inside or near a home, not from the treatment plant. If you’re on South Blount and have older plumbing, a certified lab lead test is worth asking about.
Alcoa reported no violations during 2025 and found all UCMR 5 results to be non-detects or below the reporting level[3]. Its trihalomethane running average, 25 ppb, was the lowest of the three systems[3].
TWA’s headquarters is at 902 Lakemont Dr in Louisville. Louisville homes can be on South Blount, Alcoa or another system depending on the street, and some homes outside town are on wells. Your bill tells you which report applies.
Maryville, Alcoa and South Blount water is soft to moderately soft. The usual issues are chlorine, its byproducts and anything older plumbing adds, so filtration and reverse osmosis come first. A softener only when your test calls for one.
About one in eight Blount County residents is on a well[5]. EPA advises testing a private well every year for coliform bacteria, nitrates, total dissolved solids and pH[8]. Wells here often need hardness, iron or bacteria handled. See well water treatment.
The City of Maryville’s 2026 report covers 2025 and shows the system meeting federal standards. Its lead 90th percentile was 0.5 ppb, and one home above the action level retested at 1.3 ppb. That’s the legal answer. Your tap still carries the chlorine used for disinfection and whatever your plumbing adds, which a free in-home test shows.
Not much. The City of Maryville reported an average hardness of 56 mg/L for 2024, about 3.3 grains per gallon. That’s in the soft band on the USGS scale, though the city’s report calls it moderately hard. South Blount Utility District reported 49 ppm. Private wells in Blount County can test much harder, so wells should be measured.
EPA’s UCMR 5 data show no PFAS at or above EPA’s reporting levels for the City of Maryville, the City of Alcoa or South Blount Utility District. The reporting level for PFOA and PFOS is 4 ppt. A lower level would need a certified lab test of your own tap to measure.
The City of Alcoa treats water from the Little River, which starts in the Great Smoky Mountains and is part of the Watts Bar watershed. Alcoa serves the city, part of northeast Blount County and the Tuckaleechee Utility District. Its 2026 report states there were no violations during 2025 and no PFAS above EPA reporting levels.
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