Spartanburg County, SC Water Quality: PFAS & Lead

Spartanburg County, South Carolina: drinking water report. Spartanburg County serves about 330,000 residents in the South Carolina Upstate.

Water Quality in Spartanburg County, SC

Spartanburg County serves about 330,000 residents in the South Carolina Upstate. Spartanburg Water draws from Lake Bowen and Municipal Reservoir No. 1, fed by tributaries of the Pacolet River in the Blue Ridge foothills. The protected mountain watersheds provide clean source water, similar to neighboring Greenville County.

What the Data Shows

Spartanburg Water's mountain-fed reservoirs produce high-quality source water. UCMR5 data shows minimal PFAS detections in the county system. The county does not host major military installations, and its Upstate location is distant from coastal contamination concerns.

According to the South Carolina DHEC's 2024 monitoring data, Spartanburg Water met all federal standards with significant margin. The system has been recognized for water quality excellence in the Southeast.

What Spartanburg County Residents Should Do

Spartanburg County's water quality is among the best in South Carolina, thanks to protected mountain watersheds.

Check your water for data in your area. Even with clean supply water, a carbon filter can improve chlorine taste. Our water filter guide covers options. Pull your detailed report, and visit our South Carolina page for statewide data.

Beyond water: other exposures in Spartanburg County, SC

Drinking water is one exposure route. These federal datasets also cover Spartanburg County, SC.

Radon risk

The EPA places Spartanburg County, SC in Zone 2 - a moderate-risk category, with a predicted average indoor radon level between 2 and 4 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.

Lead paint risk

40% of homes in Spartanburg County, SC were built before 1980, and 10% 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.

Air quality

Modelled annual fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) in Spartanburg County, SC averages 8.6 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