Table of Contents
Can You Drink Tap Water in Summerville?
Yes, Summerville's tap water is generally considered safe to drink as Summerville has no active health based violations of the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) that we are aware of. Other factors such as lead piping in a home, or low levels of pollutants on immunocompromised individuals, should also be considered, however. To find more recent info we might have, you can check out our boil water notice page or the city's water provider website.
According the EPA’s ECHO database, from April 30, 2019 to June 30, 2022, Summerville's water utility, Summerville Cpw (Sc1810003), had 0 violations of the Safe Drinking Water Act. For more details on the violations, please see our violation history section below. The last violation for Summerville was resolved on Sept. 30, 2014. This assessment is based on the Summerville Cpw (Sc1810003) water system, other water systems in the city may have different results.
While tap water that meets the EPA health guidelines generally won’t make you sick to your stomach, it can still contain regulated and unregulated contaminants present in trace amounts that could potentially cause health issues over the long-run. These trace contaminants may also impact immunocompromised and vulnerable individuals.
The EPA is reviewing if it’s current regulations around pollutant levels in tap water are strict enough, and the health dangers posed by unregulated pollutants, like PFAS.
Water Quality Report for Summerville Tap Water
The most recent publicly available numbers for measured contaminant levels in Summerville tap water are in its 2020 Water Quality Report. As you can see, there are levels which the EPA considers to be acceptable, but being below the maximum allowable level doesn’t necessarily mean the water is healthy.
Lead in tap water, for example, is currently allowed at up to 15ppb by the EPA, but it has set the ideal goal for lead at zero. This highlights how meeting EPA standards doesn’t necessarily mean local tap water is healthy.
EPA regulations continue to change as it evaluates the long term impacts of chemicals and updates drinking water acceptable levels. The rules around arsenic, as well as, lead and copper are currently being re-evaluated.
There are also a number of "emerging" contaminants that are not currently. For example, PFAS (Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), for which the EPA has issued a health advisory. PFAS are called "forever chemicals" since they tend not to break down in the environment or the human body and can accumulate over time.
We recommend looking at the contaminants present in Summerville's water quality reports, or getting your home's tap water tested to see if you should be filtering your water.
Summerville Tap Water Safe Drinking Water Act Violation History - Prior 10 Years
Below is a ten year history of violations for the water system named Summerville Cpw (Sc1810003) for Summerville in South Carolina. For more details please see the "What do these Violations Mean?" section below.
From Sept. 1, 2014 to Sept. 30, 2014, Summerville had 1 non-health based Safe Drinking Water Act violation with the violation category being Monitoring and Reporting, more specifically, the violation code was Monitoring, Repeat Minor (TCR) which falls into the Microbials rule code group, and the Total Coliform Rules rule code family for the following contaminant code: Coliform (TCR).
Is there Lead in Summerville Water?
Based on the EPA’s ECHO Database, 90% of the samples taken from the Summerville water system, Summerville Cpw (Sc1810003), between sample start date and sample end date, were at or below, 0.00033 mg/L of lead in Summerville water. This is 2.2% of the 0.015 mg/L action level. This means 10% of the samples taken from Summerville contained more lead.
While Summerville water testing may have found 0.00033 mg/L of lead in its water, that does not mean your water source has the same amount. The amount of lead in water in a city can vary greatly from neighborhood to neighborhood, or even building to building. Many buildings, particularly older ones, have lead pipes or service lines which can be a source of contamination. To find out if your home has lead, we recommend getting you water tested.
No amount of lead in water is healthy, only less dangerous. As lead accumulates in our bodies over time, even exposure to relatively small amounts can have negative health effects. For more information, please check out our Lead FAQ page.
Are there PFAS in Summerville Tap Water?
Currently, testing tap water for PFAS isn’t mandated on a national level. We do have a list of military bases where there have been suspected or confirmed leaks. There appears to be at least one military base - Charleston Air Force Base - near Summerville with suspected leaks.
With many potential sources of PFAS in tap water across the US, the best information we currently have about which cities have PFAS in their water is this ewg map, which you can check to see if Summerville has been evaluated for yet.
Our stance is better safe than sorry, and that it makes sense to try to purify the tap water just in case.
Summerville SDWA Violation History Table - Prior 10 Years
| Compliance Period | Status | Health-Based? | Category Code | Code | Rule Code | Contaminant Code | Rule Group Code | Rule Family Code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 09/01/2014 - 09/30/2014 | Resolved | No | Monitoring and Reporting (MR) | Monitoring, Repeat Minor (TCR) (26) | Total Coliform Rule (110) | Coliform (TCR) (3100) | Microbials (100) | Total Coliform Rules (110) |
What do these Violations Mean?
Safe Drinking Water Act Violations categories split into two groups, health based, and non-health based. Generally, health based violations are more serious, though non-health based violations can also be cause for concern.
Health Based Violations
- Maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) - maximum allowed contaminant level was exceeded.
- Maximum residual disinfectant levels (MRDLs) - maximum allowed disinfectant level was exceeded.
- Other violations (Other) - the exact required process to reduce the amounts of contaminants in drinking water was not followed.
Non-Health Based Violations
- Monitoring and reporting violations (MR, MON) - failure to conduct the required regular monitoring of drinking water quality, and/or to submit monitoring results on time.
- Public notice violations (Other) - failure to immediately alert consumers if there is a serious problem with their drinking water that may pose a risk to public health.
- Other violations (Other) - miscellaneous violations, such as failure to issue annual consumer confidence reports or maintain required records.
SDWA Table Key
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Compliance Period | Dates of the compliance period. |
| Status |
Current status of the violation.
|
| Health-Based? | Whether the violation is health based. |
| Category Code |
The category of violation that is reported.
|
| Code | A full description of violation codes can be accessed in the SDWA_REF_CODE_VALUES (CSV) table. |
| Contaminant Code | A code value that represents a contaminant for which a public water system has incurred a violation of a primary drinking water regulation. |
| Rule Code |
Code for a National Drinking Water rule.
|
| Rule Group Code |
Code that uniquely identifies a rule group.
|
| Rule Family Code |
Code for rule family.
|
For more clarification please visit the EPA's data dictionary.
Summerville Water - Frequently Asked Questions
| By Mail: | TOWN OF SUMMERVILLE PO BOX 817 SUMMERVILLE, SC, 29484-0817 |
Existing customers can login to their Summerville Cpw (Sc1810003) account to pay their Summerville water bill by clicking here.
If you want to pay your Summerville Cpw (Sc1810003) bill online and haven't made an account yet, you can create an account online. Please click here to create your account to pay your Summerville water bill.
If you don't want to make an account, or can't remember your account, you can make a one-time payment towards your Summerville water bill without creating an account using a one time payment portal with your account number and credit or debit card. Click here to make a one time payment.
Moving to a new house or apartment in Summerville means you will often need to put the water in your name with Summerville Cpw (Sc1810003). In order to put the water in your name, please click the link to the start service form below. Start service requests for water bills typically take two business days.
Leaving your house or apartment in Summerville means you will likely need to take your name off of the water bill with Summerville Cpw (Sc1810003). In order to take your name off the water bill, please click the link to the stop service form below. Stop service for water bills requests typically take two business days.
USER SUBMITTED RATINGS
- Drinking Water Pollution and Inaccessibility
- Water Pollution
- Drinking Water Quality and Accessibility
- Water Quality
The above data is comprised of subjective, user submitted opinions about the water quality and pollution in Summerville, measured on a scale from 0% (lowest) to 100% (highest).
Related FAQS
Summerville Water Quality Report (Consumer Confidence Report)
The EPA mandates that towns and cities consistently monitor and test their tap water. They must report their findings in an annual Consumer Confidence Report. Below is the most recent water quality report from Summerville's Water. If you would like to see the original version of the report, please click here.
Summerville Commissioners of Public Works P.O. Box 817
ANNUAL DRINKING WATER QUALITY REPORT
Summerville, SC 29484-0817
For more information, contact your local water provider at:
Summerville Commissioners of Public Works
P.O. Box 817
Summerville, SC
www.summervillecpw.com
Phone: (843)
Public meetings normally scheduled:
215 N. Cedar Street
Summerville, SC 29483
4th Tuesday of each month 5:00 pm
We are proud that your drinking water meets or exceeds all federal and state requirements. We have learned through our monitoring and testing that some constituents have been detected. The EPA has determined that your water IS SAFE at these levels.
EPA requires that all annual water quality reports contain the following statements:
In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink, EPA prescribes regulations which limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems. FDA regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water which must provide the same protection for public health.
All sources of drinking water are subject to potential contamination by substances that are naturally occurring or
Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water than the general population.
If present, elevated levels of lead can cause serious health problems, especially for pregnant women and young children. Lead in drinking water is primarily from materials and components associated with service lines and home plumbing. Summerville Commissioners of Public Works is responsible for providing high quality drinking water but cannot control the variety of materials used in plumbing components. When your water has been sitting for several hours, you can minimize the potential for lead exposure by flushing your tap for 30 seconds to 2 minutes before using water for drinking or cooking. If you are concerned about lead in your drinking water, you may wish to have your water tested. Information on lead in drinking water, testing methods, and steps you can take to minimize exposure is available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline or at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/lead.
The Santee Cooper Regional Water System, EPA, and American Water Works Association have joined forces as part of the Partnership for Safe Water Program. This voluntary program is designed to go beyond the required regulations to provide the highest quality water possible. We are pleased to announce the Santee Cooper Regional Water System recently received the 20 year Partnership for Safe Water Directors Award as part of this program.
We’re pleased to report that your water is safe and meets all federal and state requirements.
The Safe Drinking Water Act requires all public water systems to issue an annual report to their customers.
This report is to inform you about the quality water and services we deliver every day. As a service to you, we are pleased to provide you with this annual drinking water quality report. Our constant goal is to provide you with a safe and dependable supply of drinking water. We want you to understand the efforts we make to continually improve the water treatment process and protect our water resources. Our water source is Lake Moultrie, a 60,000 acre
In order to provide you with the highest quality water at the most economical price, Berkeley County Water & Sanitation Authority, the City of Goose Creek, Moncks Corner Public Works Commission,
and the Summerville
Commissioners of Public Works have joined forces with Santee Cooper in the development of the Santee Cooper Regional Water System. The Santee Cooper Regional Water System is comprised of a 40 million gallon per day surface water treatment plant and 26 miles of water transmission pipe- line. This facility began com- mercial operation in 1994.
The regional system treats and transmits the water to your local water utility for distribution to your home. Your local water utilities maintain approximately 600 miles of distribution pipelines.
We want our valued customers to be informed about their water utility. If you have any questions about your water provider or this report, please contact your local utility listed on the inside of this report. If you want to learn more, please plan to attend one of your local water utilities’ regularly scheduled meetings also listed on the inside of this report.
Santee Cooper Regional Water System and your local water utility routinely monitor for constituents in your drink- ing water according to federal and state laws. The enclosed table shows the results of our monitoring for the period of January 1 to December 31. Some constituents do not require annual testing; therefore, the most recent results have been reported. No reported results are more than 5 years old. All drinking water, including bottled water, may reasonably be
expected to contain at least small amounts of some contaminants. It is important to remem- ber that the presence of these constituents does not necessarily pose a health risk. More information about con- taminants and potential health effects can be
obtained by calling EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline at
WHAT’S IN THE WATER?
Monitoring Period of Jan. 1 - Dec. 31, 2020
Constituent (units) |
MCLG |
MCL |
Level |
Range of |
Violation |
Source of Constituent |
|
Detected |
Detections |
Yes/No |
|||||
|
|
|
|
||||
Total Coliform Bacteria (P/A) |
0 |
5% |
0 |
0 |
No |
Naturally present in the environment |
|
E. Coli (P/A) |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
No |
Human and animal fecal waste |
|
*Turbidity (NTU) – Highest Single |
N/A |
TT ≤ 1 NTU |
0.22 |
0.06 – 0.22 |
No |
Soil runoff |
|
Measurement |
|||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
*Turbidity (NTU) – Lowest |
|
TT requires 95% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
of monthly |
100% |
|
No |
Soil runoff |
||
Monthly Percentage of Samples |
0.3 NTU |
N/A |
|||||
samples ≤ 0.3 |
|||||||
Meeting Limits |
|
|
|
|
|
||
|
NTU |
|
|
|
|
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
*Nitrate (measured as nitrogen) |
|
|
|
|
|
Runoff from fertilizer use; leaching from |
|
10 |
10 |
0.31 |
0.31 |
No |
septic tanks & sewage; erosion on natural |
||
(ppm) |
|||||||
|
|
|
|
|
deposits. |
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
TTHM (Total Trihalomethanes) (ppb) |
None |
80 |
RAA = 23 |
17 - 26a |
No |
||
HAA5 (Haloacetic Acid 5) (ppb) |
None |
60 |
RAA = 17 |
11 - 24a |
No |
||
*Fluoride (ppm) |
4 |
4 |
0.52 |
0.52 |
No |
Erosion of natural deposits; water additive |
|
for strong teeth; discharge from fertilizer |
|||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
& aluminum factories. |
|
*TOC (Total Organic Carbon) |
N/A |
TT |
N/Ab |
1.6 - 2.4 |
No |
Naturally present in the environment |
|
(ppm) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Lead (ppb) |
0 |
AL = 15 |
90th% = 0.330 |
ND – 0.38 |
No |
Corrosion of household plumbing. |
|
0 > AL |
Erosion of natural deposits. |
||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|||
Copper, Free (ppm) |
1.3 |
AL = 1.3 |
90th% = 0.061 |
0.002 - 0.110 |
No |
Corrosion of household plumbing. |
|
0 > AL |
Erosion of natural deposits. |
||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|||
Constituent (units) |
|
MRDL |
Level |
Range of |
Violation |
Source of Constituent |
|
|
Detected |
Detections |
Yes/No |
||||
|
|
|
|
||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
*Chloramines (ppm) |
4 |
4 |
3.13c |
2.93 - 3.13 |
No |
Water additive used to control microbes |
|
Chlorine (ppm) |
4 |
4 |
2.9 |
1.0 – 3.9 |
No |
Water additive used to control microbes |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
-
Sampling location is Santee Cooper Regional Water System’s Treatment Facility a Compliance determined by RAA, not individual samples
b Running Annual Average Removal Ratio for TOC is 1.28. Treatment Technique requires RAA Removal Ratio to be > 1.0 c Highest Quarterly Average
Note: Lead and Copper Results are from the 2020 sampling period.
Summerville CPW has been designated as a reduced monitoring system for lead and copper by demonstrating low levels of lead and copper over an extended time period. Monitoring is required once every three (3) years.
Fluoride is a naturally occurring element that is added to toothpaste, mouthwash, and public water supplies to help prevent tooth decay. The Santee Cooper Regional Water System maintains fluoride concentrations in accordance with EPA and DHEC recommendations.
Total Trihalomethanes (TTHMs) and Haloacetic Acids (HAA5s) are formed as a
Turbidity has no health effects. However, turbidity can interfere with disinfection and provide a medium for microbial growth. Turbidity may indicate the presence of
MCLs are set at very stringent levels. To understand the possible health effects associated with many regulated constituents, a person would have to drink 2 liters of water every day at the MCL level for a lifetime to have a
WHAT’S IN THE WATER?
Monitoring Period of Jan. 1 - Dec. 31, 2020
General Interest
Sampling Location is Santee Cooper Regional Water System
Constituent (units) |
MCL |
Average Level |
|
Detected |
|||
|
|
||
Alkalinity (ppm) |
No Standard |
15 |
|
Total Hardness (ppm) |
No Standard |
22 |
|
Conductivity (umhos/cm) |
No Standard |
120 |
|
Temperature (OC) |
No Standard |
20.6 |
|
pH (SU) |
6.5 to 8.5 |
7.78 |
|
Total Dissolved Solids (ppm) |
500 |
93.75 |
|
Abbreviations & Definitions |
AL - |
Action Level - concentration of a contaminant which, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements |
|
which a water system must follow |
MCL - |
Maximum Contaminant Level - is the highest level of a contaminant that is allowed in drinking water. |
|
MCLs are set as close to the MCLGs as feasible using the best available treatment technology. |
MCLG - |
Maximum Contaminant Level Goal - is the level of a contaminant in drinking water below which there is |
|
no known or expected risk to health. MCLGs allow for a margin of safety. |
MRDL - |
Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level - The highest level of a disinfectant allowed in drinking water. There |
|
is convincing evidence that addition of a disinfectant is necessary for control of microbial contaminants. |
MRDLG - Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level Goal - The level of a drinking water disinfectant below which there is no known or expected risk to health. MRDLGs do not reflect the benefits of the use of disinfectants to control
|
microbial contamination. |
|
N/A - |
Not Applicable |
|
ND - |
||
detection limit. NTU - |
Nephelometric Turbidity Unit - measure of the clarity ofwater |
|
P/A - |
Present/Absent |
|
ppb - |
parts per billion or ug/l - micrograms per liter - one part per billion corresponds to one ounce in 7,350,000 |
|
|
gallons of water or to one minute in 2,000 years |
|
ppm - |
parts per million or mg/l - milligrams per liter - one part per million corresponds to one ounce in 7,350 |
|
|
gallons of water or to one minute in two years |
|
RAA - |
Running Annual Average |
|
SU - |
Standard Unit |
|
TT - |
Treatment Technique - required process intended to reduce the level of a contaminant in drinking water |
|
umhos/cm - Micromhos per centimeter - measure of the ability for water to conduct electricity
Contaminants
Summerville
EWG's drinking water quality report shows results of tests conducted by the water utility and provided to the Environmental Working Group by the South Carolina Department of Health & Environmental Control, as well as information from the U.S. EPA Enforcement and Compliance History database (ECHO). For the latest quarter assessed by the U.S. EPA (January 2019 - March 2019), tap water provided by this water utility was in compliance with federal health-based drinking water standards.
Utility details
- Serves: 61040
- Data available: 2012-2017
- Data Source: Purchased surface water
- Total: 18
Contaminants That Exceed Guidelines
- Bromodichloromethane
- Chloroform
- Chromium (hexavalent)
- Dibromochloromethane
- Dichloroacetic acid
- Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs)
- Trichloroacetic acid
Other Detected Contaminants
- 1%2C4-Dioxane
- Bromoform
- Chromium (total)
- Dibromoacetic acid
- Fluoride*
- Haloacetic acids (HAA5)
- Molybdenum
- Monobromoacetic acid
- Nitrate*
- Strontium
- Vanadium
Reminder
Always take extra precautions, the water may be safe to drink when it leaves the sewage treatment plant but it may pick up pollutants during its way to your tap. We advise that you ask locals or hotel staff about the water quality. Also, note that different cities have different water mineral contents.