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Federal water data

County water report

Sumter County Water Report

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

Water grade

B

Water score

64.8

State rank

#26

of 46

Health violations

3

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

100.0%

2 water bodies assessed

Monitoring sites

43

7,476 recent measurements

Live streamflow

No gauge

POCOTALIGO RIVER AT SUMTER, SC

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Sumter County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

B

Score: 64.8 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

3

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

100% impaired

2 bodies assessed

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

No gauge

POCOTALIGO RIVER AT SUMTER, SC

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

43

7,476 recent readings

Source: EPA SDWIS · Safe Drinking Water Information System

Drinking Water Compliance

Compliance grade

B

Based on EPA SDWIS compliance history.

Water score

Higher scores indicate cleaner recent compliance records.

64.8/100

Health violations

3

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

3.6

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding Sumter County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Sumter County earns a B grade for drinking water quality, scoring 64.8 out of 100. Over the past five years, EPA SDWIS records 3 health-based violations — a small cluster that warrants attention.

Watershed Conditions

EPA ATTAINS

Under the Clean Water Act §303(d), EPA ATTAINS tracks whether waterways meet quality standards for drinking, recreation, and aquatic life (reporting cycle: 2022). A large majority — 100.0% — of assessed waterways are impaired (2 of 2 water bodies) across Sumter County's watersheds. The leading impairment causes are escherichia coli (e. coli) and ph. Impairment does not mean tap water is unsafe — it measures ambient waterway conditions upstream of treatment, not finished drinking water.

Monitoring Network

EPA WQP

EPA's Water Quality Portal (WQP) aggregates monitoring data from federal, state, and tribal agencies. Sumter County has moderate coverage with 43 active monitoring sites with 7,476 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 Sumter County

Water Verdict

Sumter County receives a fair water quality assessment with a grade of B and a score of 64.8 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

Sumter County has recorded 3 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 3.6 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is moderate and suggests recurring water quality challenges.

Consumer Guidance

Tap water in Sumter County scores well above average for drinking-water safety. Sumter County's drinking-water compliance score is 64.8 out of 100. With 3 recorded health violations, the water supply is generally reliable. The violation rate for Sumter County is 3.6 per 100,000 people served. Households with infants, pregnant individuals, or immunocompromised members may want to use an NSF 53-certified pitcher filter as a low-cost precaution. E. coli is the leading impairment cause in Sumter County's watershed. With 43 active water-quality monitoring sites in Sumter County, data coverage is strong. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the POCOTALIGO RIVER gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Sumter County has water quality close to the average county in South Carolina. Its water score is within 0.1 points of the state average, meaning its overall water system performance is broadly representative of South Carolina as a whole.

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 Sumter County's water environment

Watershed Impairment Causes (EPA ATTAINS)

  • 1

    E. coli (bacteria)

    Impairment cause per EPA Clean Water Act §303(d) assessment

  • 2

    pH imbalance

    Impairment cause per EPA Clean Water Act §303(d) assessment

Source: EPA ATTAINS · Reporting cycle 2022

Official EPA Resources for Sumter County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Sumter County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Sumter County

Consumer Confidence Reports (SC)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in South Carolina

Clean Water Act §303(d)

Watershed Health

Impaired Water Bodies

100.0%

2 of 2 assessed

High concern

Top Impairment Causes

  • 1

    ESCHERICHIA COLI (E. COLI)

  • 2

    PH

Source: EPA ATTAINS · Reporting cycle 2022

Impairment is determined under the Clean Water Act §303(d): a water body is impaired when it fails to meet state-defined quality standards for designated uses (drinking, recreation, aquatic life). Assessment coverage varies by state; counties without assessed water bodies are not shown.

Past 5 years

Water Quality Monitoring

Monitoring Sites

43

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

7.5K

7,476 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).

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 Sumter County:C — Moderate

Some violations or watershed impairment detected.

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 Sumter County, South Carolina?
Sumter County, South Carolina has a drinking-water quality grade of B with a score of 64.8/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 3 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 Sumter County?
Sumter County has 3 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 healthy are the watersheds in Sumter County?
EPA ATTAINS assessments under Clean Water Act §303(d) indicate 100.0% of Sumter County's 2 assessed water bodies are classified as impaired (2 impaired). The top reported causes are ESCHERICHIA COLI (E. COLI), PH. Impairment means the water body fails to meet state quality standards for at least one designated use — drinking water source, recreation, aquatic life, or fish consumption. Note: watershed impairment doesn't always translate to tap-water issues; treatment plants can remove most regulated contaminants.
How much water-quality monitoring happens in Sumter County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 7,476 measurements from 43 monitoring sites in Sumter 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.
How does Sumter County water compare to the South Carolina average?
Sumter County's SDWIS water quality score of 64.8/100 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 Sumter County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Sumter County has a water quality grade of B (64.8/100). This indicates good to excellent water quality with strong SDWIS compliance. 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 Sumter County have clean drinking water?
Sumter County has 3 health-based drinking water violations according to EPA records. With a water quality score of 64.8/100 and grade B, 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 Sumter County rank for water quality in South Carolina?
Sumter County ranks #26 out of 46 counties in South Carolina by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 64.8/100, it falls in the middle 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

Richland County

South Carolina

B

64.8

Water score

Newberry County

South Carolina

B

63.8

Water score

Charleston County

South Carolina

B

63.2

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.

Watershed health and impaired-waterway data from the EPA ATTAINS Clean Water Act §303(d) assessments, state-reported and EPA-finalized.

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.

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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