Saluda County Water & Sewer Authority water quality
Saluda, SC · serves 5,060 people (1,804 connections) · Surface water · Local government · EPA ID SC4120001
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
Buys water from Saluda Commission of Public Works. 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 7.92 ppt vs a limit of 4 ppt, where ppt = parts per trillion).
- Lead
- Below action level0.43 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
- Resolved18 health-based violations since 2016, most recently Jun 2021. One required an urgent public notice within 24 hours (the kind behind boil-water notices), most recently Jun 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 Saluda County Water & Sewer Authority'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 (864) 445-9572. EPA: how to find it.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 1 entry point tested Mar 2023 to Dec 2023. "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 | 3.75 ppt 94% of the limit |
| PFOS Above limit Limit 4 ppt | 7.92 ppt 1.98× the limit |
| PFHxS Not detected Limit 10 ppt | – |
| PFNA Not detected Limit 10 ppt | – |
| HFPO-DA (GenX) Detected, below limit Limit 10 ppt | 7.13 ppt 71% 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 | 0.71 |
| PFBS Detected, below limit Guideline 2,000 ppt | 2 ppt |
| PFBA Not detected Guideline 6,000 ppt | – |
| PFHxA Detected, below limit Guideline 3,000 ppt | 4.45 ppt |
| PFPeA Detected, no limit | 4.75 ppt |
For context: the PFOS average is higher than at 91% of the South Carolina systems EPA tested.
29 PFAS tested, 6 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 4 samples (reporting limit 9 ppb). About lithium.
Lead and copper
Latest 90th percentile: 0.43 ppb lead (Jan 2024 – now (in progress)). Below action level
Highest since 2016: 0.9 ppb (Dec 2020).
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jan 2024 – now (in progress) | 0.43 ppb |
| Jan 2021 – Dec 2023 | 0.36 ppb |
| Jul 2020 – Dec 2020 | 0.9 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jan 2020 – Jun 2020 | 0.52 ppb |
| Jan 2016 – Dec 2018 | 0.52 ppb |
| Jan 2013 – Dec 2015 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2010 – Dec 2012 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2007 – Dec 2009 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2004 – Dec 2006 | 9.6 ppb |
| Jan 2001 – Dec 2003 | 3 ppb |
| Jan 2000 – Dec 2000 | 1 ppb |
| Jan 1999 – Dec 1999 | 1.7 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 |
|---|---|
| Jun 2021 | 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) · measured 2.59 ntu (limit ) Archived |
| Jan 2016 – Oct 2019 9 times | The running annual average for TTHM was above the legal limit. EPA record: TTHM · Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average · measured 0.085 mg/l (limit 0.080 mg/L) Resolved |
| Feb 2016 – Sep 2016 8 times | A required step to remove or kill germs (filtration, disinfection or fixing a contaminated well) was not done properly. EPA record: Surface Water Treatment Rule · Treatment Technique (SWTR and GWR) (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.
Where it serves
Saluda
ZIP codes the system reported serving: 29006, 29070, 29127, 29129, 29138, 29166
Nearby utilities
- Saluda Commission of Public Works Saluda · same area · PFAS above limit
- City of Newberry Newberry · 22 mi · PFAS above limit
- Newberry County Water & Sewer Authority Newberry · 22 mi · PFAS above limit
- Greenwood Commission of Public Works Greenwood · 26 mi · PFAS above limit
- McCormick County Water & Sewer Authority McCormick · 30 mi · PFAS above limit
- Joint Municipal WSC Lexington · 31 mi · PFAS above limit
Questions
Is Saluda County Water & Sewer Authority water safe to drink?
Saluda County Water & Sewer Authority had 18 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 Saluda County Water & Sewer Authority water have PFAS?
Yes. EPA's 2023–2025 testing of Saluda County Water & Sewer Authority found 6 PFAS at least once. The highest entry-point averages were above the federal limit for PFOS: PFOS 7.92 ppt (limit 4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS, 10 ppt for the others).
What is the lead level in Saluda County Water & Sewer Authority water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for Saluda County Water & Sewer Authority is 0.43 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 SC4120001: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID SC4120001).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- The utility's annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report): ask Saluda County Water & Sewer Authority at (864) 445-9572, 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.