Murfreesboro Water Hardness & Quality Report (2026)

The Murfreesboro Water Resources Department (MWRD) serves the city of Murfreesboro and surrounding areas in Rutherford County, Tennessee, providing drinking water to over 150,000 residents. Water is sourced from two surface locations: the East Fork of the Stones River and J. Percy Priest Lake, a reservoir on the Stones River managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Treatment occurs at the Stones River Water Treatment Plant (also known as the K. Thomas Hutchinson Water Treatment Plant), where raw water undergoes coagulation, filtration with anthracite and sand, disinfection using chlorine and chlorine dioxide, and carbon treatment before distribution.

The Stones River watershed drains approximately 1,000 square miles across the Nashville Basin and Eastern Highland Rim, encompassing limestone-dominated karst landscapes from the Mississippian Period. Formations including the Warsaw and Lebanon limestones naturally impart minerals to surface water, yielding a moderately mineralised supply. The river's flow through fractured limestone terrains promotes moderate carbonate dissolution, distinguishing this supply from softer highland rim headwaters or harder Cumberland Plateau sources.

At moderate hardness levels, scale buildup affects water heaters, dishwashers, washing machines, and fixtures, reducing efficiency and increasing energy costs by up to 20–30%. Hot water appliances suffer most from calcium deposits insulating heating elements. Regular deliming, scale inhibitors, and low-flow aerators help; a water softener is recommended for households noticing spotting on glassware, film in showers, or dry skin. MWRD monitors chlorine, hardness, fluoride, turbidity, and pH daily; the utility complies with lead and copper rules through corrosion control, with monthly analysis of 120+ distribution samples.