South Carolina Tap Water Quality Report

217 cities analyzed • 3,394,346 people served

Updated March 2026 • Data from EWG & EPA SDWIS

217

Cities Analyzed

8.3

Avg Above Guidelines

3,394,346

Total Population Served

Best Water Quality

Atlanta (0 above guidelines)

Most Concerns

Carlisle (16 above guidelines)

Most Common Contaminants in South Carolina

Contaminant	Found In	% of Cities
Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs) carcinogen	177 of 217	82%
Chloroform carcinogen	168 of 217	77%
Bromodichloromethane carcinogen	164 of 217	76%
Haloacetic acids (HAA5) carcinogen	155 of 217	71%
Dichloroacetic acid carcinogen	151 of 217	70%
Dibromochloromethane carcinogen	150 of 217	69%
Trichloroacetic acid carcinogen	132 of 217	61%
Nitrate carcinogen	104 of 217	48%
Dibromoacetic acid	99 of 217	46%
Fluoride	91 of 217	42%

City-by-City Water Quality Rankings

Ranked by number of contaminants above EWG health guidelines (most to fewest).

#	City	Detected	Above Guidelines	Above Legal	People Served
1	Columbia	29	16	0	319,500
2	Fort Jackson	30	16	2	32,391
3	Woodruff	26	16	1	25,923
4	Gaffney	27	16	1	15,841
5	Graniteville	31	16	0	15,282
6	Blacksburg	28	16	2	3,822
7	Chapin	31	16	0	3,655
8	Carlisle	27	16	1	3,131
9	Pawleys Island	27	15	0	38,364
10	Cayce	24	15	0	19,269
11	Chester	24	15	0	12,719
12	Union	27	15	1	11,757
13	Jonesville	27	15	1	2,837
14	Ware Shoals	25	15	2	2,363
15	Great Falls	24	15	0	1,828
16	Conway	32	14	0	172,016
17	Rock Hill	24	14	0	74,377
18	Lancaster	22	14	0	63,258
19	Lyman	19	14	0	60,592
20	Greenwood	25	14	0	47,947
21	Aiken	23	14	0	42,286
22	Laurens	31	14	1	36,314
23	North Myrtle Beach	30	14	1	29,872
24	Lugoff	23	14	2	20,584
25	Fort Mill	24	14	0	16,943
26	Bennettsville	23	14	0	9,070
27	Loris	33	14	0	3,613
28	Ninety Six	25	14	0	2,880
29	Gray Court	28	14	1	1,069
30	Summerville	23	13	0	81,750
31	Florence	26	13	0	70,925
32	Orangeburg	23	13	0	41,440
33	Anderson	18	13	0	38,594
34	Lexington	28	13	1	34,317
35	West Columbia	27	13	0	29,294
36	North Augusta	20	13	0	27,593
37	Hilton Head Island	31	13	0	25,558
38	Edgefield	18	13	0	24,978
39	Clemson	19	13	0	17,953
40	Camden	20	13	1	15,877
41	Belton	20	13	0	14,058
42	Hilton Head	26	13	0	2,318
43	Norway	23	13	0	775
44	Charleston	25	12	0	234,333
45	Okatie	25	12	0	120,236
46	Mount Pleasant	28	12	0	82,125
47	Myrtle Beach	20	12	0	50,920
48	Goose Creek	27	12	0	25,121
49	Johns Island	26	12	0	16,355
50	Clinton	22	12	2	10,109
51	Starr	16	12	0	8,688
52	Isle Of Palms	28	12	0	8,681
53	Kiawah Island	23	12	1	8,226
54	Pacolet	18	12	2	4,817
55	Folly Beach	26	12	2	3,852
56	Fripp Island	26	12	1	3,536
57	Neeses	23	12	0	2,536
58	Santee	18	12	2	2,388
59	Whitmire	19	12	2	2,256
60	Sullivans Island	25	12	0	2,243
61	Swansea	22	12	1	1,923
62	Lincolnville	25	12	0	1,546
63	Prosperity	16	12	0	55
64	Calhoun Falls	17	12	0	0
65	Greer	19	11	0	41,751
66	Cassatt	26	11	0	25,061
67	Dillon	18	11	0	15,717
68	Marion	19	11	0	15,082
69	Sandy Springs	13	11	0	11,077
70	Winnsboro	14	11	0	7,888
71	Honea Path	16	11	0	4,195
72	Wallace	12	11	0	2,928
73	Ridgeway	15	11	0	950
74	Van Wyck	15	11	0	0
75	Heath Springs	15	11	0	0
76	Kershaw	15	11	0	0
77	Spartanburg	19	10	0	142,671
78	Moncks Corner	15	10	0	62,883
79	Powdersville	16	10	0	35,000
80	Easley	20	10	0	29,967
81	York	21	10	0	25,218
82	Chesnee	20	10	0	16,971
83	Westminster	14	10	0	15,518
84	Williamston	14	10	0	6,693
85	Pendleton	14	10	0	3,883
86	Saluda	19	10	1	3,558
87	Norris	21	10	0	3,194
88	Jenkinsville	14	10	0	2,503
89	New Ellenton	10	10	0	1,737
90	Iva	13	10	0	1,643
91	North	10	10	0	1,378
92	Monetta	19	10	0	974
93	Leesville	14	10	0	500
94	Greenville	16	9	0	361,636
95	Sumter	14	9	0	53,070
96	Walhalla	15	9	0	15,768
97	Six Mile	16	9	0	13,553
98	Walterboro	16	9	0	11,689
99	Tega Cay	15	9	0	10,500
100	Newberry	16	9	1	9,711
101	Kingstree	13	9	0	6,834
102	Hemingway	13	9	0	3,418
103	Marietta	16	9	0	3,245
104	Fort Mill	13	9	0	2,200
105	West Pelzer	16	9	0	1,168
106	Jamestown	11	9	0	746
107	Lockhart	11	9	0	545
108	Awendaw	10	9	0	473
109	West Union	16	9	0	468
110	Donalds	13	9	1	0
111	Seneca	16	8	0	33,916
112	Inman	14	8	0	33,176
113	Mccormick	13	8	0	8,500
114	Johnsonville	11	8	0	5,078
115	Salem	16	8	0	4,075
116	Bethune	12	8	0	2,633
117	Holly Hill	10	8	0	1,710
118	Ridge Spring	15	8	0	1,351
119	Lynchburg	9	8	0	640
120	Lane	9	8	0	627
121	Tequesta	9	8	0	608
122	Stuckey	10	8	0	317
123	Lamar	15	8	0	0
124	Bishopville	8	8	0	0
125	Bamberg	8	8	0	0
126	Darlington	11	7	0	45,911
127	Dalzell	11	7	0	12,110
128	Pickens	12	7	0	10,871
129	Liberty	8	7	0	9,568
130	Manning	9	7	0	5,908
131	Georgetown	8	7	0	4,690
132	Estill	10	7	0	3,990
133	Andrews	10	7	0	3,895
134	Central	9	7	0	3,495
135	Irmo	10	7	0	2,200
136	Coward	10	7	0	2,120
137	Summerton	9	7	0	2,096
138	Latta	9	7	0	1,968
139	Elloree	9	7	0	1,498
140	Branchville	7	7	0	1,218
141	Scranton	8	7	0	1,026
142	Ridgeville	7	7	0	606
143	Dewees Island	12	7	0	43
144	Olanta	9	7	0	0
145	Greeleyville	9	7	0	0
146	Blackville	9	7	0	0
147	Ehrhardt	8	7	0	0
148	Lake City	9	6	0	8,341
149	Beech Island	7	6	0	8,016
150	Ridgeland	6	6	0	2,678
151	Mccoll	7	6	0	2,213
152	Turbeville	6	6	0	1,459
153	Des Peres	11	6	0	1,226
154	Eastover	6	6	0	813
155	Eutawville	7	6	0	555
156	Pinewood	7	6	0	455
157	Ulmer	8	6	0	245
158	Gilbert	7	6	0	22
159	Fairfax	8	6	0	0
160	Chesterfield	13	5	0	20,239
161	Edisto Island	7	5	0	5,568
162	Jackson	6	5	0	3,602
163	Williston	6	5	0	2,953
164	Pageland	13	5	0	2,706
165	Jefferson	13	5	0	720
166	Clearwater	6	5	0	543
167	Bowman	5	5	0	0
168	Clio	6	5	0	0
169	Hartsville	6	4	0	8,575
170	Gloverville	5	4	0	7,065
171	Mcbee	4	4	0	4,128
172	Allendale	4	4	0	3,882
173	St Matthews	5	4	0	2,644
174	Shaw AFB	6	4	0	2,250
175	Bath	4	4	0	1,048
176	Langley	4	4	0	759
177	St George	4	3	0	2,226
178	Gaston	3	3	0	1,779
179	Springfield	3	3	0	700
180	Athens	4	3	0	590
181	Elko	3	3	0	371
182	Wagener	3	3	0	309
183	Garfield	3	3	0	190
184	Cheraw	4	3	0	89
185	N Chesterfield	3	3	0	50
186	Denmark	5	3	0	0
187	Harleyville	4	2	0	710
188	Hickory Grove	2	2	0	576
189	Sharon	3	2	0	573
190	Catawba	4	2	0	290
191	Clover	2	2	0	215
192	Travelers Rest	4	2	0	190
193	Hopkins	2	2	0	64
194	Abbeville	2	2	0	23
195	Barnwell	2	2	0	0
196	Perry	2	2	0	0
197	Hampton	3	1	0	3,015
198	Pamplico	2	1	0	1,514
199	Cary	4	1	0	626
200	Ravenel	2	1	0	95
201	Lake Wylie	2	1	0	92
202	Bellmont	2	1	0	40
203	North Port	2	1	0	40
204	Olar	3	1	0	0
205	Atlanta	0	0	0	660
206	Salley	116	0	0	465
207	Hilda	0	0	0	311
208	Furman	1	0	0	238
209	Beaufort	1	0	0	191
210	Smoaks	1	0	0	176
211	Lodge	0	0	0	121
212	Bluffton	1	0	0	114
213	Williams	1	0	0	103
214	Pineville	1	0	0	100
215	Simpsonville	3	0	0	60
216	Hardeeville	2	0	0	48
217	Lobeco	1	0	0	0

Recommended Filtration for South Carolina

Based on the most common contaminants found across South Carolina (Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs), Chloroform, Bromodichloromethane), we recommend a reverse osmosis system or high-quality carbon block filter to remove disinfection byproducts and their precursors.

Echo RO System

Removes up to 99.9% of contaminants. The gold standard for drinking water in South Carolina homes.

View RO Systems

Echo Whole-Home Filter

Protect every tap in your home from chlorine, VOCs, and disinfection byproducts.

View Whole-Home Filters

Echo Hydrogen Water Flask

Once your water is clean, supercharge it with molecular hydrogen for antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits.

Shop Hydrogen Flask

Frequently Asked Questions

Is South Carolina tap water safe to drink?

Water quality varies significantly across South Carolina. Of the 217 cities analyzed, the average city has 8.3 contaminants above EWG health guidelines. The best water quality was found in Atlanta. We recommend checking your specific city's report for detailed information.

What city has the best water in South Carolina?

Based on our analysis, Atlanta has the fewest contaminants above EWG health guidelines in South Carolina, with 0 above guideline levels.

What city has the worst water in South Carolina?

Based on our analysis, Carlisle has the most contaminants above EWG health guidelines in South Carolina, with 16 above guideline levels.

What's the best water filter for South Carolina residents?

For most South Carolina households, we recommend a reverse osmosis (RO) system for drinking water and a whole-home filter for showers and baths. The specific recommendation depends on your city's contaminant profile — check your city's report for personalized guidance.

National Water Quality Reports

Data sources: Environmental Working Group (EWG) Tap Water Database, U.S. EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS)

Last updated: March 2026

Methodology: Contaminant levels are compared against both EPA legal limits (Maximum Contaminant Levels) and EWG health guidelines, which are often stricter and based on the latest scientific research.

South Carolina Water Quality Report (2026)