Your water
Mountain water,
valley minerals.
Mountain water, valley minerals. The water in your Chattanooga tap started as rain on the Appalachians, and it picks up a few things on the way to your kitchen. Here’s what they are, why they matter, and what, if anything, to do about them.
Why we're called Springhouse
Before there was a water company, there was a springhouse.
Long before refrigerators and city water lines, families across these mountains built a springhouse over the spring that fed the homeplace. It was a small stone or log shed with cold spring water running through a trough inside. Crocks of milk and butter sat in that trough to stay cool through the summer.
The springhouse kept the family's water clean and protected, so nothing got in that shouldn't. You looked after it, because everything else on the place depended on it.
The job hasn't changed much. Your water still comes down out of these mountains. We just help you look after it once it gets to your house.
Look after the water, and it looks after you.
Illustration for now — a real East Tennessee springhouse photograph goes here once we have one, with the location and rights confirmed.
How it gets to your tap
From the mountains to your kitchen, in four stops.
Up in the mountains
It starts as rain and springs in the Blue Ridge and the Smokies. Those streams feed the rivers that join at Knoxville to form the Tennessee River.
Down through the valleys
East Tennessee's ridges and valleys sit on limestone and dolomite. Water moving through that rock dissolves calcium and magnesium. That's what “hard water” means.
Through the plant
Tennessee American Water draws from the Tennessee River, cleans it up, and adds a disinfectant so it stays safe through miles of pipe.
Into your house
On the last stretch it can pick up sediment from the mains and metals from older home plumbing. The disinfectant also leaves behind byproducts.
None of this is anyone doing anything wrong. It's what happens to mountain water on a long trip. The question is just what's in yours by the time it reaches the tap.
What’s in it
Legal isn’t the same as perfect.
Chattanooga’s water meets federal standards. Those standards are a floor, not a goal. Put in your ZIP and we’ll show you what your own utility publishes, with the report linked.
4.4 gpg
Moderately hard
Enough to leave scale on fixtures, spots on glass and buildup in your water heater. A softener earns its keep here.
Tennessee American Water, Citico plant — published total hardness 54-90 mg/L as CaCO3
Straight answers
Questions we get
Anything not here, email hello@springhousewaterco.com.
Is Chattanooga's water safe to drink?
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It meets federal standards, and the report is linked above. Treatment isn't about an emergency — it's about scale, taste, what you wash in, and giving your appliances a longer life than hard water would.
How hard is the water here, really?
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Tennessee American Water publishes total hardness of 54 to 90 mg/L for the Citico plant, which is about 3.2 to 5.3 grains per gallon, averaging around 4.4. That is moderately hard — enough to scale a water heater and spot your glassware, and not the catastrophe some people will tell you it is. If you have seen a much bigger number quoted for Chattanooga, check whether it came from the utility or from someone selling a softener.
Am I even on Tennessee American Water?
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Maybe not. Chattanooga proper is, but Hamilton County is a patchwork — Hixson has its own utility district, there are districts covering the east of the county, and Cleveland is on Cleveland Utilities entirely. Which one serves your street changes the answer, and it is the first thing we check.
Do I need a softener if the water is only moderately hard?
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Often yes, and sometimes no. Moderately hard is still hard enough to cost you a water heater early. But if your test comes back low enough that a system would not pay for itself, we will tell you that standing in your kitchen.
What does it cost?
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Every price is published on the pricing page, installed. Same price in every house, and if your water needs less than the full system your quote goes down, never up.
Do you treat private wells?
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Not yet. We are city water only at launch. If you are on a well, call us anyway and we will point you to someone who can help in the meantime.
Free water test
Find out what's actually in your water
We'll test your water at your kitchen sink, show you the result, and tell you what — if anything — you need. Free, and there's no system that fits every house.
- Free on-site water test
- Licensed plumber install
- Every price published