The Green Issue 2023: Five Things to Know About Nashville’s Tap Water (2024)

For Nashvillians, the water that comes out of their faucets started out in the Cumberland River. Our water quality has come a long way since the days when we dumped all of our waste in the river (though sometimes sewage still overflows into it) and thought lead pipes were best. Even so, the Cumberland remains on the state’s list of “impaired and threatened” waterways, and there’s room for improvement.

The Scene spoke with Metro Water Services and advocacy group Environmental Working Group to find out about Nashville’s tap water quality. Here are five takeaways.

Nashville water’s main problem: what’s left from the disinfectants

In the EWG’s analysis of Nashville water, disinfection byproducts are the main concern. Disinfecting drinking water is important, so in order to lessen the need for these products, Nashville would need to better protect its source water, says Sydney Evans, senior science analyst at EWG.

“When you add disinfectants, and there are other contaminants or other organic matter in the drinking water, those disinfectants are going to combine and interact with those other materials, and that’s where you get the byproducts,” Evans says. “It’s important to note because disinfection byproducts are associated with cancer risk long term — especially bladder cancer. It’s a matter of looking at how we can keep disinfecting as necessary, but lower these concentrations of disinfectant byproducts.”

Nashville’s water is disinfected with a very diluted bleach, which keeps it free of bacteria and pathogens, says Metro Water Services spokesperson Sonia Allman.

“That disinfectant keeps it safe and clean all the way to its endpoint, which is the faucet in someone’s house,” she says.

Filters help with smell and taste, but aren’t imperative

“When I go to a restaurant, I want to make sure that when I drink that water, I actually want to smell a little bit of that chlorine smell,” says Allman, “because that tells me that there is a disinfectant in there and not only is the water disinfected, but also if that glass wasn’t completely clean — that’s going to help as well.”

In her home, Allman puts tap water in a pitcher and lets it sit in the refrigerator to allow the smell to dissipate. Water filters are also an option to help with taste, but she says it is important to change the filter regularly so it doesn’t end up adding bacteria.

Metro and the EWG agree — bottled water is not superior. It is regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, which has less stringent regulations than the tap water regulated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

Metro Water is under deadline to identify and replace all lead pipes

Allman says the organization is on track to comply with the EPA’s Lead and Copper Rule Revisions requirement, which requires the system maintain an inventory of service line materials by October 2024.

Metro replaces any lead portions located between the water meter and the public when they come across them, Allman says, but there are still older homes in Nashville that have lead pipes, or lead or brass soldering. (Metro is not responsible for pipes on private property.) To quell that issue, Metro has put orthophosphate into the water since the 1980s to coat the pipes and prevent lead from leaching into the water.

Nashville is at about 1 part per billion of lead. With the elimination of lead lines completely, it can get down to zero.

“Even though there is a 15-part-per-billion action level, no amount of lead is safe,” Allman says.

Nashville is less affected by industry than other cities

“We’re not like Detroit and many other large cities in that we do have some industry, but not the large amount of industry along the river or here in our city that a lot of other large cities have,” Allman says.

The biggest pollutant in creeks and streams is sedimentation, she says, which can be quelled by monitoring construction areas. The Metro Water Services Stormwater Division handles the source water of streams and creeks that run into the Cumberland.

The EWG doesn’t make statements about how one water system may be worse or better off than another. It’s important to point out health risks, Evans says, but some water systems simply need more support to get high-quality drinking water.

“We don’t want to punish systems that are challenged by worse water quality and fewer resources,” Evans says. “So many of those cities are known for really good drinking water because they’re starting with really good drinking water.”