EWG's drinking water quality report shows
results of tests conducted by the water utility and provided to the Environmental Working Group by the South Carolina Department of Health & Environmental Control, as well as
information from the U.S. EPA Enforcement and Compliance History database (ECHO). For the latest quarter assessed by the U.S. EPA (January 2021 - March 2021), tap water provided by this water utility was in compliance with federal health-based drinking water standards.
EWG Health Guidelines fill the gap in outdated government standards.
The federal government’s legal limits are not health-protective. The EPA has not set a new tap water standard in almost 20 years, and some standards are more than 40 years old.
Nitrate, a fertilizer chemical, frequently contaminates drinking water due to agricultural and urban runoff, and discharges from municipal wastewater treatment plants and septic tanks. Excessive nitrate in water can cause oxygen deprivation in infants and increase the risk of cancer. Click here to read more about nitrate.
Nitrate was found at 10 times above EWG's Health Guideline.
EWG Health Guideline
0.14 ppm or less
This Utility
1.43 ppm
Legal Limit
10 ppm
National Average
0.935 ppm
State Average
0.249 ppm
The state and national averages were calculated using the averages of the contaminant measurements for each utility in 2017-2019. ppm = parts per million
Health Risks
The EWG Health Guideline of 0.14 ppm for nitrate was defined by EWG . This health guideline protects against cancer and harm to fetal growth and development.
Nitrate and nitrite enter water from fertilizer runoff, septic tanks and urban runoff. These contaminants can cause oxygen deprivation for infants and increase the risk of cancer. Nitrite is significantly more toxic than nitrate. Click here to read more about nitrate.
Nitrate and nitrite was found at 10 times above EWG's Health Guideline.
EWG Health Guideline
0.14 ppm or less
This Utility
1.4 ppm
Legal Limit
10 ppm
National Average
0.888 ppm
State Average
0.222 ppm
The state and national averages were calculated using the averages of the contaminant measurements for each utility in 2017-2019. ppm = parts per million
Health Risks
The health guideline of 0.14 parts per million, or ppm, for nitrate and nitrite is based on the equivalent health guideline for nitrate, as defined in a peer-reviewed scientific study by EWG. This guideline represents a one-in-one-million annual cancer risk level.
Includes chemicals detected in 2017-2019 for which annual utility averages exceeded an EWG-selected health guideline established by a federal or state public health authority.
Includes .
Other Contaminants Tested
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Chemicals tested for but not detected from 2014 to 2019:
One of the best ways to push for cleaner water is to hold accountable the elected officials who have a say in water quality – from city hall and the state legislature to Congress all the way to the Oval Office – by asking questions and demanding answers.