Is Columbia, SC tap water safe?
Supplied by City of Columbia · serves 354,068 people (153,754 connections) · Surface water · EPA ID SC4010001
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
Most of Columbia gets its water from City of Columbia. Parts of the city are served by 13 smaller systems: Fort Jackson Water System (31,000 people), Bay Capital Water Works (647 people), BGWC Charleswood S/D (484 people), BGWC Farrowwood Estates (377 people) and 9 more. Your water bill names your system.
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 5.8 ppt vs a limit of 4 ppt, PFOS 7.55 ppt vs a limit of 4 ppt, where ppt = parts per trillion).
- Lead
- Below action level5 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 2023. Your home's pipes can make yours higher.
- Violations
- Resolved2 health-based violations since 2016, most recently Dec 2024. One required an urgent public notice within 24 hours (the kind behind boil-water notices), most recently Apr 2021. 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 Columbia's 2026 water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report, from the utility). It lists every regulated contaminant tested, including ones not on this page. Questions: (803) 545-3400.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 2 entry points tested Dec 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 Above limit Limit 4 ppt | 5.8 ppt 1.45× the limit |
| PFOS Above limit Limit 4 ppt | 7.55 ppt 1.89× the limit |
| PFHxS Not detected Limit 10 ppt | – |
| PFNA Not detected Limit 10 ppt | – |
| HFPO-DA (GenX) Detected, below limit Limit 10 ppt | 8.05 ppt 81% of the limit |
| Hazard Index (a combined score for PFHxS, PFNA, GenX and PFBS, where above 1 is over the limit) Detected, below limit Limit 1 | 0.81 |
| PFBS Detected, below limit Guideline 2,000 ppt | 4.3 ppt |
| PFBA Not detected Guideline 6,000 ppt | – |
| PFHxA Detected, below limit Guideline 3,000 ppt | 4.77 ppt |
| PFPeA Detected, no limit | 5.35 ppt |
| PFHpA Detected, no limit | 0.75 ppt |
What the utility says it is doing: Columbia Water says it is exploring treatment options to remove PFAS and plans bench studies to evaluate technologies for the new federal limits. It samples source and finished water at both treatment plants twice a year. Posted results run through October 2023.
Source: PFAS - Columbia Water. 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 92% of the South Carolina systems EPA tested and the PFOS average is higher than at 89% 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
Not detected in 8 samples (reporting limit 9 ppb). About lithium.
Lead and copper
Latest 90th percentile: 5 ppb lead (Jan 2021 – Dec 2023). Below action level
Highest since 2016: 7 ppb (Dec 2020).
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jan 2021 – Dec 2023 | 5 ppb |
| Jan 2018 – Dec 2020 | 7 ppb |
| Jan 2015 – Dec 2017 | 3.8 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jan 2012 – Dec 2014 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2009 – Dec 2011 | 4 ppb |
| Jan 2006 – Dec 2008 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2003 – Dec 2005 | 4.1 ppb |
| Jan 2002 – Dec 2002 | 6 ppb |
| Jan 2001 – Dec 2001 | 6.7 ppb |
| Jan 2000 – Jan 2001 | 3 ppb |
| Jan 2000 – Dec 2000 | 3 ppb |
| Jan 1999 – Jul 1999 | 9 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 2024 | The running annual average for Chlorite was above the legal limit. EPA record: Chlorite · Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average · measured 1.33 mg/l (limit 1.0 mg/L) Resolved |
| Apr 2021 | E. coli was confirmed in the water. E. coli means the water may have been contaminated with sewage or animal waste. Urgent public notice required What that means EPA record: Revised Total Coliform Rule · Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, E. coli (RTCR) 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 | 19.3 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Chromium-6 | 0.12 ppb | – |
| Chlorate | 340 ppb | 210 ppb |
| Strontium | 0.059 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
| Molybdenum | 2.8 ppb | 40 ppb |
| Vanadium | 1.2 ppb | 21 ppb |
| 1,4-Dioxane | 0.47 ppb | 0.35 ppb |
Where it serves
Columbia
ZIP codes the system reported serving: 29016, 29036, 29044, 29045, 29061, 29063, 29201, 29203, 29204, 29205, 29206, 29209, 29210, 29212, 29223, 29229
Nearby utilities
- Fort Jackson Water System Columbia · same area · PFAS above limit
- City of Cayce Cayce · 10 mi · PFAS above limit
- BGWC I-20 West Columbia · 12 mi · PFAS above limit
- City of West Columbia West Columbia · 12 mi · PFAS above limit
- Lugoff Elgin Water Authority Lugoff · 17 mi · PFAS above limit
- Joint Municipal WSC Lexington · 18 mi · PFAS above limit
Questions
Is Columbia tap water safe to drink?
Most of Columbia gets its water from City of Columbia. City of Columbia 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 Columbia water have PFAS?
Yes. EPA's 2023–2025 testing of City of Columbia found 7 PFAS at least once. The highest entry-point averages were above the federal limit for PFOA and PFOS: PFOA 5.8 ppt, PFOS 7.55 ppt (limit 4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS, 10 ppt for the others).
What is the lead level in Columbia water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for City of Columbia is 5 ppb, for the period ending Dec 2023. 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 SC4010001: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID SC4010001).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- City of Columbia'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: (803) 545-3400.
- City of Columbia 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.