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County water report

McCormick County Water Report

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

Water grade

F

Water score

12.8

State rank

#45

of 46

Health violations

25

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

Not reported

EPA ATTAINS coverage varies by state

Monitoring sites

18

10,557 recent measurements

Live streamflow

27%

LITTLE RIVER NEAR MT. CARMEL, SC

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for McCormick County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

F

Score: 12.8 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

25

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

Not reported

Coverage varies by state

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

27% of mean

LITTLE RIVER NEAR MT. CARMEL, SC

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

18

10,557 recent readings

Source: EPA SDWIS · Safe Drinking Water Information System

Drinking Water Compliance

Compliance grade

F

Based on EPA SDWIS compliance history.

Water score

Higher scores indicate cleaner recent compliance records.

12.8/100

Health violations

25

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

242.3

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding McCormick County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

McCormick County's water systems carry a failing grade, scoring 12.8 out of 100. Over the past five years, EPA SDWIS records 25 health-based violations — a pattern that public water utilities are required to disclose and correct.

River & Streamflow Status

USGS NWIS

USGS NWIS gauge data (as of 2026-05-14T15:00:00.000-04:00) puts LITTLE RIVER at 51.3 cfs — well below its long-term average at 27% 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. McCormick County has moderate coverage with 18 active monitoring sites with 10,557 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 McCormick County

Water Verdict

McCormick County, South Carolina receives a poor water quality assessment with a grade of F and a score of 12.8 out of 100. The water supply has documented quality issues. Residents are strongly encouraged to use filtered or bottled water for drinking and to stay informed about utility improvement plans. The county's primary USGS gauge drains roughly 217 square miles of upstream watershed, giving local source waters a regional footprint. At the most recent USGS reading, local streamflow was below its historical mean at 26.9% — worth watching in drier seasons.

Violation Context

EPA SDWIS records for McCormick County, South Carolina show 25 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 242.3 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is high and signals significant water quality management issues. This compliance record sits alongside an unusually deep monitoring archive: 10,557 water-quality results have been logged across the county in the EPA Water Quality Portal over the past five years.

Consumer Guidance

Drinking-water compliance in McCormick County is rated Grade F, reflecting significant health-based violations in the recent reporting period. McCormick County's drinking-water compliance score is 12.8 out of 100. An NSF 53 or NSF 58-certified filter is recommended for drinking and cooking water. Check the Consumer Confidence Report from your utility to identify the specific contaminants and required corrective actions — utilities are legally required to notify customers of violations. With 18 active water-quality monitoring sites in McCormick County, data coverage is strong. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the LITTLE RIVER gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

McCormick County has poorer water quality than the average county in South Carolina. Its water score is 52.1 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 McCormick County's water environment

Official EPA Resources for McCormick County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for McCormick County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for McCormick County

Consumer Confidence Reports (SC)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in South Carolina

Past 5 years

Water Quality Monitoring

Monitoring Sites

18

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

11K

10,557 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

51.3cfs

May 14, 7:00 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

27%

Well below typical

Primary Streamgage

LITTLE RIVER NEAR MT. CARMEL, SC

USGS site
02192500
Drainage area
217 sq mi
Long-term mean
191 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 McCormick County:F — Failing

High violation count or severe watershed conditions.

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 McCormick County, South Carolina?
McCormick County, South Carolina has a drinking-water quality grade of F with a score of 12.8/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 25 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 McCormick County?
McCormick County has 25 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 McCormick County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 10,557 measurements from 18 monitoring sites in McCormick 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 McCormick County right now?
McCormick County's primary USGS streamgage on the LITTLE RIVER has a pipeline snapshot of 51.3 cubic feet per second — 27% of the long-term mean of 191.04 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 McCormick County water compare to the South Carolina average?
McCormick County's SDWIS water quality score of 12.8/100 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 McCormick County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, McCormick County has a water quality grade of F (12.8/100). This indicates below-average compliance with significant violations. Residents may want to consider home water filtration or independent testing. 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).
Why does McCormick County have so many water violations?
McCormick County has 25 health-based drinking water violations on record from the EPA SDWIS database. A higher violation count can result from aging infrastructure, underfunded water utilities, agricultural runoff contamination, or industrial pollution. Counties with more water systems may also see more violations simply due to scale. Residents concerned about water quality should consider independent water testing and home filtration systems.
How does McCormick County rank for water quality in South Carolina?
McCormick County ranks #45 out of 46 counties in South Carolina by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 12.8/100, 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

Union County

South Carolina

F

12.3

Water score

Saluda County

South Carolina

F

24.2

Water score

Williamsburg County

South Carolina

F

25.4

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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