Iron in Tennessee well water
In Tennessee, iron was detected in 89% of 3,490 tested private well samples.
Iron is a nuisance rather than a health hazard: rust stains, metallic taste, and clogged fixtures above 300 ug/L. It often occurs with manganese and can feed iron bacteria that foul plumbing.
Check your iron number
Type the value from your lab report. It is compared to the EPA limit, the same way the full interpretation does it.
Test your Tennessee well for iron
Certified lab analysis of your own tap water, bottles and prepaid return shipping included. The Essential well panel covers arsenic, uranium, nitrate, lead, copper, manganese, iron, sodium and bacteria; radon and PFAS are add-ons.
Order the Tap Score well water test kit, from $209Already tested? Upload the report
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Systems that remove iron
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Some links below are affiliate links. If you buy through one, the merchant pays us a commission at no extra cost to you. It does not change which products we list or what the data says.
For iron
Iron and manganese oxidizing filter
whole-house, at the point of entry, about $1,800
Air-injection or greensand media; fixes staining at the source.
Rather have it installed and sized for your well? Book a free in-home water test with a licensed local company.
Where to get a well tested for iron in Tennessee: certified labs, state programs and prices.
By county, from individual samples
Public monitoring samples against the EPA limit; counties with at least 30 samples.
| County | Above EPA limit | Samples | Detected | Median | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cannon | no limit | 55 | 100% | 50 | 930 ug/L |
| DeKalb | no limit | 122 | 100% | 80 | 13,000 ug/L |
| Dyer | no limit | 39 | 100% | 2,200 | 14,300 ug/L |
| Lauderdale | no limit | 60 | 100% | 9,700 | 18,000 ug/L |
| Putnam | no limit | 144 | 100% | 100 | 870 ug/L |
| Rutherford | no limit | 33 | 100% | 150 | 3,400 ug/L |
| Smith | no limit | 70 | 100% | 65 | 730 ug/L |
| Wilson | no limit | 63 | 100% | 100 | 16,000 ug/L |
| Henry | no limit | 73 | 99% | 80 | 5,390 ug/L |
| White | no limit | 101 | 98% | 70 | 3,000 ug/L |
| Crockett | no limit | 32 | 97% | 205 | 2,600 ug/L |
| Weakley | no limit | 73 | 95% | 60 | 12,000 ug/L |
| Madison | no limit | 138 | 94% | 13.6 | 56,000 ug/L |
| Humphreys | no limit | 34 | 91% | 45 | 52,000 ug/L |
| Marshall | no limit | 52 | 90% | 15 | 18,100 ug/L |
- District 5, Putnam County100% detected of 35
- District 2, Cannon County100% detected of 47
- District 7, Madison County100% detected of 67
- District 1, DeKalb County100% detected of 42
- District 6, Marshall County100% detected of 39
- District 8, Shelby County100% detected of 36
- District 9, Wilson County100% detected of 48
- District 6, White County100% detected of 50
- District 7, Putnam County100% detected of 32
- District 8, Putnam County100% detected of 45
- District 7, Shelby County100% detected of 100
- District 9, Shelby County100% detected of 81
- District 10, Shelby County99% detected of 73
- District 1, Shelby County97% detected of 119
- District 13, Shelby County97% detected of 71
- District 7, White County97% detected of 35
- District 11, Shelby County96% detected of 133
- District 2, Shelby County96% detected of 48
- District 5, Shelby County95% detected of 94
- District 6, Shelby County87% detected of 196
Sources
- Individual samples from the USGS Water Quality Portal and state monitoring, summarized per geography. iron counts and shares are listed on each county and town page with their sources.