Grand Strand Water & Sewer Authority/Bull Creek water quality
Conway, SC · serves 252,840 people (108,645 connections) · Surface water · Local government · EPA ID SC2620004
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
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 limitPFOA, PFOS above the federal limit in EPA's 2023–2025 testing (PFOA 4.17 ppt vs a limit of 4 ppt, PFOS 4.38 ppt vs a limit of 4 ppt, where ppt = parts per trillion).
- Lithium
- Above screening levelHighest result 30.1 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 level0.51 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 Jan 2024 – now, still in progress (results reported so far). Your home's pipes can make yours higher.
- Violations
- None health-basedNo health-based violations since 2016.
- 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.
- Tested your own tap? Compare your result with these numbers. Moving? Compare this system with another.
- Read Grand Strand Water & Sewer Authority/Bull Creek's 2026 water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report, from the utility). It lists every regulated contaminant tested, including ones not on this page. Questions: (843) 443-8251.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 7 entry points tested Jul 2023 to May 2024. "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 Above limit Limit 4 ppt | 4.17 ppt at the limit |
| PFOS Above limit Limit 4 ppt | 4.38 ppt 1.09× 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 | 0.00096 |
| PFBS Detected, below limit Guideline 2,000 ppt | 1.93 ppt |
| PFBA Detected, below limit Guideline 6,000 ppt | 1.8 ppt |
| PFHxA Detected, below limit Guideline 3,000 ppt | 2.88 ppt |
| PFPeA Detected, no limit | 4.1 ppt |
| PFHpA Detected, no limit | 1.78 ppt |
What the utility says it is doing: Grand Strand Water & Sewer Authority says it is testing for PFAS and working with engineers on potential treatment, and is prepared to implement a treatment solution to comply with the federal PFAS standards by 2029 if testing finds levels above them.
Source: GSWSA PFAS FAQ, 2024-07. Collected by us on Nov 14, 2026, not from EPA's data. Ask the utility for the latest.
For context: the PFOA average is higher than at 80% of the South Carolina systems EPA tested and the PFOS average is higher than at 69% of the South Carolina systems EPA tested.
29 PFAS tested, 7 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 9 of 23 samples. Highest result 30.1 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: 0.51 ppb lead (Jan 2024 – now (in progress)). Below action level
Highest since 2016: 0.64 ppb (Dec 2020).
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jan 2024 – now (in progress) | 0.51 ppb |
| Jan 2021 – Dec 2023 | 0.56 ppb |
| Jan 2018 – Dec 2020 | 0.64 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jan 2015 – Dec 2017 | 0.52 ppb |
| Jan 2012 – Dec 2014 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2009 – Dec 2011 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2006 – Dec 2008 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2003 – Dec 2005 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2002 – Dec 2002 | 2 ppb |
| Jan 2001 – Dec 2001 | 2 ppb |
| Jan 2000 – Jan 2001 | 3 ppb |
| Jan 2000 – Dec 2000 | 3 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
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 | 30.9 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Vanadium | 0.63 ppb | 21 ppb |
| Chlorate | 250 ppb | 210 ppb |
| Chromium-6 | 0.075 ppb | – |
| Strontium | 0.066 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
| Molybdenum | 1.2 ppb | 40 ppb |
| 1,4-Dioxane | 0.23 ppb | 0.35 ppb |
Where it serves
ZIP codes the system reported serving: 29511, 29526, 29527, 29528, 29544, 29545, 29566, 29568, 29569, 29575, 29576, 29577, 29579, 29581, 29588
Nearby utilities
- City of North Myrtle Beach North Myrtle Beach · 17 mi · PFAS above limit
- Gcwsd Waccamaw Neck Water System Pawleys Island · 29 mi · PFAS above limit
- City of Georgetown Georgetown · 35 mi · PFAS above limit
- City of Florence Florence · 49 mi · PFAS above limit
- Darlington County Water & Sewer Authority Darlington · 57 mi
- BCWSA East Cooper Moncks Corner · 72 mi · PFAS above limit
Questions
Is Grand Strand Water & Sewer Authority/Bull Creek water safe to drink?
Grand Strand Water & Sewer Authority/Bull Creek has no health-based violations since 2016. 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 Grand Strand Water & Sewer Authority/Bull Creek water have PFAS?
Yes. EPA's 2023–2025 testing of Grand Strand Water & Sewer Authority/Bull Creek found 7 PFAS at least once. The highest entry-point averages were above the federal limit for PFOA and PFOS: PFOA 4.17 ppt, PFOS 4.38 ppt (limit 4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS, 10 ppt for the others).
What is the lead level in Grand Strand Water & Sewer Authority/Bull Creek water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for Grand Strand Water & Sewer Authority/Bull Creek is 0.51 ppb, for the monitoring period that began Jan 2024 (still in progress). 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 SC2620004: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID SC2620004).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- Grand Strand Water & Sewer Authority/Bull Creek's 2026 water quality report: the utility's own annual report, including contaminants EPA's national database doesn't carry (link checked Nov 14, 2026). Phone: (843) 443-8251.
- Grand Strand Water & Sewer Authority/Bull Creek website
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.