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Federal water data

County water report

Fairfield County Water Report

Drinking-water compliance, watershed health, monitoring records, and river conditions for Fairfield County, South Carolina.

Water grade

C

Water score

56.0

State rank

#34

of 46

Health violations

2

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

Not reported

EPA ATTAINS coverage varies by state

Monitoring sites

24

9,422 recent measurements

Live streamflow

26%

BROAD RIVER AT ALSTON, SC

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Fairfield County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

C

Score: 56.0 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

2

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

Not reported

Coverage varies by state

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

26% of mean

BROAD RIVER AT ALSTON, SC

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

24

9,422 recent readings

Source: EPA SDWIS · Safe Drinking Water Information System

Drinking Water Compliance

Compliance grade

C

Based on EPA SDWIS compliance history.

Water score

Higher scores indicate cleaner recent compliance records.

56.0/100

Health violations

2

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

9.6

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding Fairfield County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Fairfield County's drinking water earned a C grade, scoring 56.0 out of 100. Over the past five years, EPA SDWIS records 2 health-based violations — a small cluster that warrants attention.

River & Streamflow Status

USGS NWIS

USGS NWIS gauge data (as of 2026-05-14T15:00:00.000-04:00) puts BROAD RIVER at 1.4k cfs — well below its long-term average at 26% of mean — low-flow conditions worth noting for water-dependent ecosystems. Streamflow is a leading indicator of drought stress, sediment load, and dilution capacity: low flows concentrate pollutants and warm water temperatures, stressing aquatic life and, in surface-water-dependent systems, the source water quality for treatment plants.

Monitoring Network

EPA WQP

EPA's Water Quality Portal (WQP) aggregates monitoring data from federal, state, and tribal agencies. Fairfield County has moderate coverage with 24 active monitoring sites with 9,422 recent measurements on record. Predominant monitoring categories include physical and nutrient. More monitoring sites generally indicate greater scientific attention to local water conditions — and provide the baseline data that regulators use to set future impairment listings.

Editorial advisory

What the data suggests for Fairfield County

Water Verdict

Fairfield County receives a fair water quality assessment with a grade of C and a score of 56.0 out of 100. The water supply meets baseline federal standards, but there may be periods of elevated contaminant levels or infrastructure concerns worth monitoring.

Violation Context

Fairfield County has recorded 2 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 9.6 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is high and signals significant water quality management issues.

Consumer Guidance

Tap water in Fairfield County meets baseline standards but the compliance record shows room for improvement, with a Grade C rating. Fairfield County's drinking-water compliance score is 56.0 out of 100. The violation rate for Fairfield County is 9.6 per 100,000 people served. Residents who are immunocompromised, pregnant, or have young children may benefit from using an NSF 53-certified filter. Contacting your local utility for the current Consumer Confidence Report will confirm which specific violations were recorded and whether they have been resolved. With 24 active water-quality monitoring sites in Fairfield County, data coverage is strong. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the BROAD RIVER gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Fairfield County has poorer water quality than the average county in South Carolina. Its water score is 8.9 points lower than the state average, suggesting more challenges with contamination control or infrastructure than neighboring counties.

Advisory text summarizes county-level public records and is not a replacement for your utility's current Consumer Confidence Report or direct local notices.

Contaminants & Resources

Key issues flagged in Fairfield County's water environment

Official EPA Resources for Fairfield County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Fairfield County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Fairfield County

Consumer Confidence Reports (SC)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in South Carolina

Past 5 years

Water Quality Monitoring

Monitoring Sites

24

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

9.4K

9,422 total readings

Most Measured

  • Physical
  • Nutrient
  • Inorganics, Minor, Metals

Categories measured most frequently

Data from the EPA Water Quality Portal (WQP), aggregating monitoring records from federal, state, and tribal sources. Each measurement represents a single sample analyzed for a specific characteristic (e.g., E. coli, pH, dissolved oxygen, nitrogen).

Live USGS Streamgage

River & Stream Conditions

Current Discharge

1,350cfs

May 14, 7:00 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

26%

Well below typical

Primary Streamgage

BROAD RIVER AT ALSTON, SC

USGS site
02161000
Drainage area
4,790 sq mi
Long-term mean
5,277 cfs

One representative streamgage (the one with the largest drainage area in the county). Many counties have multiple gauges; this view summarizes the primary one. The long-term mean is the full-record annual average; the percent-of-typical value compares the latest reading against that average.

Free tool

Estimate Your Water Costs

Water Cost Estimate

3

3 people  ·  ~225 gal/day

Annual Total

$558

Monthly

$47

Water Bill

$558/yr

Filter Cost

$0/yr

Safety Grade for Fairfield County:D — Poor

Elevated violations or significant watershed impairment.

Estimates use the national average residential water rate ($0.0068/gal, EPA/AWWA 2023) and EPA WaterSense per-person consumption baseline (75 gal/person/day). Actual bills vary by utility, usage tier, and local infrastructure fees. For informational purposes only.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the water quality in Fairfield County, South Carolina?
Fairfield County, South Carolina has a drinking-water quality grade of C with a score of 56.0/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 2 health-based drinking water violations over the past 5 years. Watershed health, monitoring records, and streamflow snapshots are reported separately on this page.
Are there any water violations in Fairfield County?
Fairfield County has 2 health-based drinking water violations recorded by the EPA over the past 5 years. Health-based violations indicate instances where contaminant levels exceeded EPA Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs). Violations may have been resolved — check with your local water utility for current status.
How much water-quality monitoring happens in Fairfield County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 9,422 measurements from 24 monitoring sites in Fairfield County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Physical, Nutrient, Inorganics, Minor, Metals. Each measurement is a single sample analyzed for one characteristic (E. coli, pH, dissolved oxygen, etc.). High monitoring density means more scientific evidence behind any reported signal — it does not by itself indicate water quality.
What's happening with rivers in Fairfield County right now?
Fairfield County's primary USGS streamgage on the BROAD RIVER has a pipeline snapshot of 1,350 cubic feet per second — 26% of the long-term mean of 5,277.37 cfs. This is well below typical — often a signal of drought stress on source water. For the latest gauge feed, visit waterdata.usgs.gov.
How does Fairfield County water compare to the South Carolina average?
Fairfield County's SDWIS water quality score of 56.0/100 is lower than the South Carolina state average of 64.9. The average water quality grade across South Carolina is C, based on data from 46 counties with available SDWIS data.
Is tap water safe to drink in Fairfield County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Fairfield County has a water quality grade of C (56.0/100). This indicates moderate compliance. Some violations have been recorded but overall standards are maintained. The grade speaks to the public water system, not the watershed — for watershed-level concerns, see the Watershed Health zone. For the most up-to-date information, contact your local water utility or review your Consumer Confidence Report (CCR).
Does Fairfield County have clean drinking water?
Fairfield County has 2 health-based drinking water violations according to EPA records. With a water quality score of 56.0/100 and grade C, the county's drinking water has had some compliance issues but continues to be monitored. Note: drinking-water compliance speaks to the public water system, not necessarily to the watershed itself — check the Watershed Health zone for ATTAINS §303(d) data.
How does Fairfield County rank for water quality in South Carolina?
Fairfield County ranks #34 out of 46 counties in South Carolina by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 56.0/100, it falls in the bottom third of counties statewide. The ranking reflects EPA SDWIS compliance only — not watershed impairment, monitoring density, or streamflow, which are tracked separately on this page.

Counties with Similar Water Quality

Lexington County

South Carolina

C

53.8

Water score

Aiken County

South Carolina

C

59.2

Water score

Beaufort County

South Carolina

C

59.3

Water score

Data Sources

Drinking-water compliance data from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) via the ECHO enforcement database. Scores reflect compliance history and health-based violation counts.

Water-quality monitoring counts from the EPA Water Quality Portal (WQP), federated USGS, EPA, and state agency sampling records over a rolling 5-year window.

Live streamflow from the USGS National Water Information System (NWIS), continuous discharge measurements from the largest-drainage gauge in each county, compared against the full-record long-term annual mean.

Disclaimer: This data is informational only. It is not health, legal, or professional advice. For concerns about your specific water supply, contact your local water utility.

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorUpdated Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor

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