State profile · EPA SDWIS + UCMR5
South Carolina Drinking Water Quality
1,390 SDWIS-listed systems serve 4,709,324 people. UCMR5 PFAS detection is 54.9% on the tested subset (upper-third UCMR5 detection (> 35.3%)); SDWIS violation rate is 65.3%.
- 1,390
- SDWIS water systems
- 38,355
- Total violations
- 65.3%
- SDWIS systems w/ a violation
- 54.9%
- UCMR5 PFAS rate (164 tested)
The verdict
UCMR5 PFAS detection is 54.9% (90 of 164 tested) - upper-third UCMR5 detection (> 35.3%). According to EPA SDWIS population served, South Carolina ranks #25 of 66 states and territories by people served through public water systems.
- #25 of 66
- Population · states corpus
- 38,355
- Total EPA violations on record
- 25%
- Health-based (MCL / treatment)
- 65.3%
- SDWIS systems with ≥1 violation
SDWIS violation % and UCMR5 PFAS % use different denominators (full inventory vs tested subset). Population ordinal uses SDWIS population served.
South Carolina standing, low SDWIS violation-rate third
South Carolina is in the lower third of jurisdictions by violation rate (65.3%; lower-third rate (≤ 92.5%)). That is a relative placement among peers, not a claim that most systems are clean - 908 of 1,390 still carry ≥1 record. Population served is mid-pack at 4,709,324 (mid served population (≤ 5,131,439)). Health-based share is 25% - a material slice is exposure-relevant, with the rest monitoring or reporting. UCMR5 PFAS detection is 54.9% on the tested subset (upper-third UCMR5 detection (> 35.3%)) - a different denominator from the SDWIS violation rate. Systems listed below are ranked by population served or violation count; pair rate with inventory size before reading exposure scale.
Nationwide similar states
Nearest by SDWIS violation rate
Nearest by population served
Health-based share of this violation record
EPA SDWIS classifications for South Carolina's 38,355 recorded violations.
South Carolina vs nearest violation-rate peers
Share of SDWIS-listed systems with at least one recorded violation; peers are nearest by absolute rate distance, not a fixed top-seven list.
- SC
South Carolina
65.3 % of systems
- WI
Wisconsin
72.1 % of systems
- 07
EPA Region 7 — Tribal Water Systems
57.9 % of systems
- DE
Delaware
74.8 % of systems
- MN
Minnesota
51.6 % of systems
What this shows South Carolina's rate is 65.3% (908 of 1,390 systems; lower-third rate (≤ 92.5%)). This is a comparison of recorded SDWIS violations, not a measure of current water safety.
South Carolina vs all jurisdictions by SDWIS system inventory
Where this state's public water system count sits among every state and territory on PlainWater
1,390 29th of 66 higher than 37 of 66 jurisdictions
States and territories, banded by SDWIS-listed public water system count
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more jurisdictions. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source EPA SDWIS state aggregates · 2026-05-15
Largest Water Systems
Most Violations
Counties in South Carolina
Showing top 30 of 46 counties.
Context: PFAS in drinking water · methodology · all states
Every figure on PlainWater is rendered directly from EPA SDWIS drinking-water data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on EPA SDWIS data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.