Lexington County, South Carolina: drinking water report. Lexington County borders Columbia to the west and south, home to about 310,000 residents.
Lexington County borders Columbia to the west and south, home to about 310,000 residents. Lexington County Joint Municipal Water and Sewer Commission and the Town of Lexington draw from Lake Murray and the Saluda River. Lake Murray is one of the largest reservoirs in the Southeast, created by the Saluda Dam in 1930.
Lake Murray provides a clean surface water source with relatively low contamination from the surrounding watershed. UCMR5 data shows minimal PFAS detections in Lexington County systems. The county does not host major military installations.
According to the South Carolina DHEC's 2024 monitoring data, county systems met all federal standards. The primary water quality dynamic is seasonal – warm months increase algal growth in Lake Murray, which can elevate organic content and require more treatment chemical to manage disinfection byproducts.
Lexington County's water quality is consistently good. Seasonal taste changes from treatment adjustments are the most common customer complaint.
Check your water for data in your area. A carbon filter addresses seasonal taste variation. Our water filter guide covers options. Pull your detailed report, and visit our South Carolina page for statewide data.
Drinking water is one exposure route. These federal datasets also cover Lexington County, SC.
The EPA places Lexington County, SC in Zone 3 - the EPA's lowest-risk category, with a predicted average indoor radon level below 2 pCi/L. Zone maps predict an area's radon potential from geology and existing indoor readings; they say nothing about a specific house. Testing is the only way to know your own level.
33% of homes in Lexington County, SC were built before 1980, and 4% before 1950. Residential lead paint was banned in 1978, so housing age is the strongest available proxy for lead-paint exposure. This describes the county's housing stock, not any one home.
Modelled annual fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) in Lexington County, SC averages 8.1 µg/m³, within the EPA's annual standard of 9 µg/m³. These are CDC modelled county estimates rather than readings from a specific monitor.
How radon zones work · Air quality by county · Lead exposure guide