Lead Service Lines in South Carolina: 7,999 Reported

641 of the 643 South Carolina systems in EPA's Q2 2026 report have filed line counts. The 7,999 confirmed lead lines and 11,251 galvanized lines requiring replacement come from 17 systems — 2.7% of those reporting — so lead pipe in South Carolina is concentrated in a small share of systems. 349,307 lines (17%) are still of unknown material, close to the national share of 22%.

The unknown category is not a footnote. Under EPA's Lead and Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR), every community water system had to submit an initial service line inventory by October 16, 2024, and lines whose material could not be documented were reported as unknown. The Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI), finalized in October 2024, require systems to keep identifying those lines, to notify customers served by a lead, galvanized-requiring-replacement or unknown line, and to replace lead and galvanized-requiring-replacement lines — generally within 10 years of the rule's November 1, 2027 compliance date. The LCRI also lowers the lead action level from 15 to 10 ppb. For South Carolina, that makes the 349,307 unknown lines (17%) the pool from which future confirmed-lead counts will be drawn.

Your own answer is one lookup away: search your utility's service line inventory (usually an address map on its website), or read the water system name and lead results in your latest Consumer Confidence Report. Customers on a lead, galvanized-requiring-replacement or unknown line must be notified by the utility. Failing that, scratch the pipe at the water meter — lead is soft, dull gray, non-magnetic and turns shiny where scratched.

EPA's rule text and timelines are on its Lead and Copper Rule Improvements page. While your line is unverified, our best water filters for lead guide covers NSF/ANSI 53-certified options, and the lead in drinking water guide explains testing and health thresholds.