Is Florence, SC tap water safe?
Supplied by City of Florence · serves 79,745 people (37,426 connections) · Surface water · EPA ID SC2110001
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
Buys water from Darlington County Water & Sewer Authority. Treated water bought from another system can carry that system's contaminants.
Summary
PFAS above the 2024 federal limits. Systems have until 2029 to meet the PFAS limits.
Is it an emergency? No: PFAS limits are about years of exposure, not a glass of water, and nothing in EPA's data calls for you to stop drinking the water today. If your utility ever issues a boil-water or do-not-drink notice, follow it.
- PFAS
- Above limitPFOS above the federal limit in EPA's 2023–2025 testing (PFOS 5.65 ppt vs a limit of 4 ppt, where ppt = parts per trillion).
- Lithium
- Above screening levelHighest result 22.6 ppb. EPA uses 10 ppb to decide what to study further. It is not a health limit, and there is no federal limit for lithium. About 1 in 4 systems tested were above it.
- Lead
- Below action level1.1 ppb (parts per billion) at the 90th percentile: 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below it. Action level 15 ppb, falling to 10 ppb in Nov 2027. Monitoring period ending Dec 2024. Your home's pipes can make yours higher.
- Violations
- Resolved2 health-based violations since 2016, most recently Jan 2018. 2 required an urgent public notice within 24 hours (the kind behind boil-water notices), most recently Jan 2018. What to do if you get a notice.
- Pregnant, or mixing baby formula with tap water? Babies drink more water for their size, so PFAS exposure matters more for them. Consider bottled water or a filter certified for PFAS for formula, and ask your doctor. Health effects.
- To lower your PFAS exposure now, a home filter certified for PFAS reduction works (reverse osmosis, or activated carbon certified to NSF/ANSI 53 or 58). Filters for these results.
- Built before 1986, or not sure what your service line is made of? Check your service line and test your tap. Utility data can't show your pipes.
- Got a boil-water or do-not-drink notice? What each notice means and what to do.
- Tested your own tap? Compare your result with these numbers. Moving? Compare this system with another.
- Read City of Florence's annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report). It lists every regulated contaminant tested and is usually on the utility's website or mailed with your bill, and you can also request it at (843) 665-3113. EPA: how to find it.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 13 entry points tested Nov 2024 to Sep 2025. "Average" is the highest entry-point average (non-detects counted as zero), the way EPA compares UCMR 5 results to the limits. ppt = parts per trillion. These results do not determine compliance.
| Contaminant | Highest average |
|---|---|
| PFOA One sample above limit Limit 4 ppt | 3.65 ppt 91% of the limit |
| PFOS Above limit Limit 4 ppt | 5.65 ppt 1.41× the limit |
| PFHxS Not detected Limit 10 ppt | – |
| PFNA Not detected Limit 10 ppt | – |
| HFPO-DA (GenX) Not detected Limit 10 ppt | – |
| Hazard Index (a combined score for PFHxS, PFNA, GenX and PFBS, where above 1 is over the limit) Detected, below limit Limit 1 | 0.0009 |
| PFBS Detected, below limit Guideline 2,000 ppt | 1.8 ppt |
| PFBA Not detected Guideline 6,000 ppt | – |
| PFHxA Detected, below limit Guideline 3,000 ppt | 3.45 ppt |
| PFPeA Detected, no limit | 3.47 ppt |
For context: the PFOS average is higher than at 74% of the South Carolina systems EPA tested.
29 PFAS tested, 5 detected at least once. "Not detected" means below EPA's reporting limit (about 2 to 20 ppt depending on the chemical), not proven zero. PFAS not listed were not detected. The limits for PFHxS, PFNA, GenX and the Hazard Index were proposed for rescission in May 2026. That proposal is not final. Systems have until 2029 to meet the limits.
Lithium
Detected in 6 of 28 samples. Highest result 22.6 ppb. EPA's non-enforceable screening level is 10 ppb. Above screening level The screening level is how EPA decides what to study further, not a health limit. There is no federal limit for lithium and no filter is certified to remove it. About lithium.
Lead and copper
Latest 90th percentile: 1.1 ppb lead (Jan 2022 – Dec 2024). Below action level
Highest since 2016: 5 ppb (Dec 2018).
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jan 2022 – Dec 2024 | 1.1 ppb |
| Jan 2019 – Dec 2021 | 1.5 ppb |
| Jan 2016 – Dec 2018 | 5 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jan 2014 – Dec 2016 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2013 – Dec 2015 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2010 – Dec 2012 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2007 – Dec 2009 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2006 – Dec 2006 | 2.7 ppb |
| Jan 2005 – Dec 2005 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2004 – Dec 2004 | 1 ppb |
| Jul 2003 – Dec 2003 | 2 ppb |
| Jan 2003 – Jun 2003 | 1 ppb |
Lead comes from pipes and fixtures, not the source water, so it varies home to home. The 90th percentile means 9 in 10 sampled homes were at or below it. More on lead.
Violations
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| Dec 2017 – Jan 2018 2 times | The water was cloudier than allowed at least once. Cloudiness can shield germs from disinfection. Urgent public notice required What that means EPA record: Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule · Single Turbidity Exceed (Enhanced SWTR) (limit ) Resolved |
Health-based violations mean a contaminant exceeded a limit or a required treatment step was missed. Monitoring and reporting violations mean required tests or reports were late or missing, so the water's quality during that time is unknown. The total includes every violation in EPA's records, most of them paperwork.
Earlier EPA testing (2013–2020)
| Contaminant | Highest | Guideline |
|---|---|---|
| Manganese | 10.7 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Chromium-6 | 0.15 ppb | – |
| 1,4-Dioxane | 0.56 ppb | 0.35 ppb |
| Chlorate | 250 ppb | 210 ppb |
| Strontium | 0.058 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
Where it serves
Florence
ZIP codes the system reported serving: 29161, 29501, 29505, 29506, 29541
Nearby utilities
- Darlington County Water & Sewer Authority Darlington · 10 mi
- City of Sumter Sumter · 38 mi
- Shaw AFB Sumter · 38 mi · PFAS above limit
- City of Camden Camden · 47 mi · PFAS above limit
- Grand Strand Water & Sewer Authority/Bull Creek Conway · 49 mi · PFAS above limit
- Lugoff Elgin Water Authority Lugoff · 52 mi · PFAS above limit
Questions
Is Florence tap water safe to drink?
Most of Florence gets its water from City of Florence. City of Florence had 2 health-based violations since 2016, all since resolved. EPA testing found PFAS above the 2024 federal limits, which systems must meet by 2029. Federal data can't tell you about your own pipes: lead comes from service lines and plumbing, so test your tap if your home was built before 1986. For the official word, read the utility's annual Consumer Confidence Report.
Does Florence water have PFAS?
Yes. EPA's 2023–2025 testing of City of Florence found 5 PFAS at least once. The highest entry-point averages were above the federal limit for PFOS: PFOS 5.65 ppt (limit 4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS, 10 ppt for the others).
What is the lead level in Florence water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for City of Florence is 1.1 ppb, for the period ending Dec 2024. The federal action level is 15 ppb, falling to 10 ppb in November 2027. The 90th percentile means 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below this number. Individual homes can be higher.
Check these numbers yourself
Every figure on this page comes from public EPA records. You don't have to take our word for it:
- EPA's own report for SC2110001: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID SC2110001).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- The utility's annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report): ask City of Florence at (843) 665-3113, or see EPA's guide to finding it.
Found something that doesn't match? Tell us and we'll check it against EPA's records. How we check our data.
Source: U.S. EPA drinking water records and PFAS testing (UCMR 5). How we read the data.