Our Water
The water we provide is completely safe to drink. Our source water does not contain any lead and is 100% lead-free when it leaves our Orangeburg Water Treatment Plant.

Fast Facts 

How Lead Gets into Drinking Water?
Lead does not occur naturally in water. It can enter your drinking water from lead water service lines and/or plumbing in your home. The water service line connects a home to the water main and is comprised of two parts. Orangeburg Department of Public Utilities (DPU) owns and maintains the water service lines from the water main to the property line. Private service lines are located from the property line to the home and is the property of the homeowner.

Is Lead Regulated?

Yes, by the US EPA's Lead and Copper Rule

What DPU is Doing to Protect You from Potential Exposure to Lead

It is important to note that DPU’s drinking water is lead-free when it leaves our treatment plant, but as water travels through our system to your faucet, lead can enter the water through service lines or the corrosion of plumbing materials in your private home or building plumbing. 

Our treatment process targets the possibility of lead entering our system or your plumbing, minimizing the possibility it may leach into the water. We perform routine water testing to ensure the treatment is effective and out overall results are published every year in our Water Quality Report. The DPU consistently meets all state and federal water quality standards including those for lead.

DPU’s Initial Service Line Inventory

In 2021, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) revised the Lead & Copper Rule (LCRR) in include a new requirement that all water utilities across the country must create initial inventories of their water service lines and connections to find any lead service line or connection that may exist in the water system. These inventories must also include the customers’ side of the water meter.

Beginning in August 2023, to meet the initial inventory requirements, DPU began conducting an initial inventory of our service lines that connect our water mains to your water meter to determine if any of the service lines are made of lead.

What is a Service Line?

A service line is an underground pipe that carries water from DPU’s water main to a home or business. Each service line requires connections to the water main and to the water lines and plumbing on a customer's property.

Each service line and connection may consist of multiple plumbing material types including, but not limited to, plastic, copper, galvanized iron, and possibly lead or have lead components.

Homes built before 1932 may have a lead service line, and those built before 1986 may have lead plumbing components.

What is DPU Doing to Try to Identify What My Service Line is Made of?

DPU will continue our inventory work until all service lines are identified. To help with the inventory process, DPU has created a database of all service lines in our service area that allows our customers to search by address for information about the water service line connected to their home or business. DPU strongly encourages our customers to identify and replace any lead pipes and/or plumbing materials containing lead serving your home.

For help with identifying what material your private service line material may be made of, please click here to learn how to identify the different types of service line materials. (Identifying Service Line Material)

You can also use our map to see if your service line material has been identified. Our map allows the customer to add their service line material to our database.

Explore Our Lead Service Line Inventory (Click here!)

 
If I Have a Lead Service Line, Will DPU Replace It
We'll replace our portion of a lead service line (between the water main and water meter) if we find it during field work. 
 
We do not replace the customers' portion of the service line (between the water meter and the home), as this is part of a customer's private plumbing. 

Steps You Can Take to Reduce Lead in Drinking Water
Below are recommended actions that you may take, separately or in combination, if you are concerned about lead in your drinking water. The list also includes where you may find more information; however, it is not intended to be a complete list or to imply that all actions equally reduce lead in drinking water.  

1. Use a Lead-Safe Water Filter
   The proper use of a lead-safe water filter can reduce lead in drinking water. If you use a filter, it should be certified to remove lead. Read any directions provided with the filter to learn how to properly install, maintain, and use your cartridge and when to replace it. Using the cartridge after it has expired can make it less effective at removing lead. Do not run hot water through the filter. For more information on facts and advice on home water filtration systems, visit US CDC’s website.
2. Clean Your Aerator 
   Regularly remove and clean your faucet’s screen (also known as an aerator). Sediment, debris, and lead particles can collect in your aerator. If lead particles are caught in the aerator, lead can get into your water. 
3. Use Cold Water
   Do not use hot water from the tap for drinking, cooking, or making baby formula as lead dissolves more easily into hot water. Boiling water does not remove lead from water.  
4. Run Your Water 
   Use your water regularly and frequently. Before drinking, flush your home’s pipes by running the cold-water tap, taking a shower, doing laundry, or doing a load of dishes. If you are away from your home for an extended period, we recommend flushing your water for at least two minutes once you have returned prior to using the water for drinking or cooking. Residents may contact us at 803-268-4404for recommendations about properly flushing your water.
5. Have Your Water Tested
   You may contact a certified laboratory of your choice to have your water tested for lead. Note, a water sample may not adequately capture or represent all sources of lead that may be present. For information on sources of lead that include service lines and interior plumbing, please visit this EPA website.

More Info / Links
- EPA Lead & Copper Rule
- EPA Drink Tap Water
- CDC Lead Facts
- CDC Lead Poisoning Prevention
- SC DES Lead Facts