Richland County Water Quality
Richland County, South Carolina: one city report built from EPA and utility records. A county has many suppliers; each city shows the system that serves it.
Highest result for each contaminant
One row per contaminant: the highest result any system in the county reported, against its limit. Open a row for the systems behind it.
Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS)COLUMBIA CITY OF (SC4010001)4.0 ng/L federal MCL (2024) · US EPA8.6 ng/L
- COLUMBIA CITY OF (SC4010001)8.6 ng/LSample date: 2024-12-19 to 2025-09-23
Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA)COLUMBIA CITY OF (SC4010001)4.0 ng/L federal MCL (2024) · US EPA6.9 ng/L
- COLUMBIA CITY OF (SC4010001)6.9 ng/LSample date: 2024-12-19 to 2025-09-23
Hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPO-DA) (GenX chemicals)COLUMBIA CITY OF (SC4010001)10 ng/L federal MCL (2024) · US EPA9.2 ng/L
- COLUMBIA CITY OF (SC4010001)9.2 ng/LSample date: 2024-12-19 to 2025-09-23
Lead (90th percentile)COLUMBIA CITY OF (SC4010001)15 µg/L federal action level · US EPA5 µg/L
- COLUMBIA CITY OF (SC4010001)5 µg/LMonitoring period: 2021–2023
Perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBS)COLUMBIA CITY OF (SC4010001)2,000 ng/L EPA health advisory (screening, not a legal limit) · US EPA5.2 ng/L
- COLUMBIA CITY OF (SC4010001)5.2 ng/LSample date: 2024-12-19 to 2025-09-23
Perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA)COLUMBIA CITY OF (SC4010001)400,000 ng/L Michigan EGLE state MCL (strictest US state) · Michigan EGLE5.7 ng/L
- COLUMBIA CITY OF (SC4010001)5.7 ng/LSample date: 2024-12-19 to 2025-09-23
Water hardnessCOLUMBIA CITY OF (SC4010001)Aesthetic, no federal health limit · USGS2.1 gpg
- COLUMBIA CITY OF (SC4010001)2.1 gpgReporting year: 2025
Perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA)COLUMBIA CITY OF (SC4010001)No federal or state limit; shown for transparency3 ng/L
- COLUMBIA CITY OF (SC4010001)3 ng/LSample date: 2024-12-19 to 2025-09-23
1 more contaminant detectedShow
Perfluoropentanoic acid (PFPeA)COLUMBIA CITY OF (SC4010001)No federal or state limit; shown for transparency6.8 ng/L
- COLUMBIA CITY OF (SC4010001)6.8 ng/LSample date: 2024-12-19 to 2025-09-23
23 substances tested, none detected in this systemShow
Tested in this system: COLUMBIA CITY OF (SC4010001)
- 11-Chloroeicosafluoro-3-oxaundecane-1-sulfonic acid (11Cl-PF3OUdS)
- 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorodecane sulfonic acid (8:2 FTS)
- 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (4:2 FTS)
- 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (6:2 FTS)
- 4,8-Dioxa-3H-perfluorononanoic acid (ADONA)
- 9-Chlorohexadecafluoro-3-oxanone-1-sulfonic acid (9Cl-PF3ONS)
- Lithium
- N-ethyl perfluorooctanesulfonamidoacetic acid (NEtFOSAA)
- N-methyl perfluorooctanesulfonamidoacetic acid (NMeFOSAA)
- Nonafluoro-3,6-dioxaheptanoic acid (NFDHA)
- Perfluoro (2-ethoxyethane) sulfonic acid (PFEESA)
- Perfluoro-3-methoxypropanoic acid (PFMPA)
- Perfluoro-4-methoxybutanoic acid (PFMBA)
- Perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA)
- Perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA)
- Perfluorododecanoic acid (PFDoA)
- Perfluoroheptanesulfonic acid (PFHpS)
- Perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS)
- Perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA)
- Perfluoropentanesulfonic acid (PFPeS)
- Perfluorotetradecanoic acid (PFTA)
- Perfluorotridecanoic acid (PFTrDA)
- Perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUnA)
Cities ranked by the records
Ranked by the Purity Score of each city's main water system, highest first. Scores belong to water systems; there is no county score. The score is computed only from contaminants measured in the published EPA record, so this ranks the record, not which city's water is safest. How the score works.
0of 1 city above the 15 µg/L action level
Based on each system's 90th-percentile result. Lead from household plumbing isn't in this record.
Lead in South Carolina1city reports hardness · Columbia, 2.1 gpg
None above 7 gpg, the USGS threshold for hard water. An aesthetic measure with no federal health limit.
Hard water explainedLargest water systems
- ColumbiaCOLUMBIA CITY OF (SC4010001) · SC4010001354,068 served
Frequently asked
How does Richland County tap water compare across cities?
PurityMap ranks 1 city in Richland County by the Purity Score of each city's main water system, computed only from contaminants measured in the published EPA record. Scores belong to water systems, not to cities. The highest published score is Columbia's main water system: COLUMBIA CITY OF (SC4010001) · PWSID SC4010001 · Purity Score 48 (Poor) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level. The ranking compares the records, not which city's water is safest, and your own tap can differ with household plumbing.
How many Richland County cities have PFAS above the federal limit?
1 city of 1 had at least one regulated PFAS (PFOA, PFOS or PFHxS) measured above the 2024 federal limit in EPA's UCMR 5 testing, including Columbia (PFOS 8.6 ng/L). PFAS were detected at any level in 1.
Is there lead in Richland County tap water?
Utilities report lead as a 90th-percentile result from home taps. 1 of 1 Richland County cities reported a value above zero, and none was above the 15 µg/L federal action level. Lead usually comes from a building's own pipes and fixtures, so only a test at your tap tells you what you drink.
Have Richland County water systems had drinking-water violations?
1 city in Richland County has a health-based violation in the federal SDWIS record within about the last ten years. Each city report lists the contaminant, year and whether it was resolved.
Does Richland County have hard water?
Hardness is published in utility water-quality reports for 1 Richland County city on record; the hardest is Columbia at 2.1 grains per gallon. Hardness affects scale and appliances; it is not a health finding.
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