Charleston water at a glance
- Water utility
- Charleston Water System
- Hardness
- 58.4 ppm (about 3.4 grains per gallon), described as moderately soft (Charleston Water System)
- Disinfection
- Chlorine dioxide and chloramines (Charleston Water System)
- Private wells
- Found in outlying parts of Charleston, Berkeley and Dorchester counties
Which utility serves your home?
Around Charleston, water comes from several utilities:
- Charleston Water System serves the City of Charleston and much of the surrounding area.
- Mount Pleasant Waterworks serves Mount Pleasant.
- Summerville CPW serves Summerville.
- Berkeley County Water & Sanitation serves parts of Berkeley County.
Check your water bill to see which one serves you. Each publishes its own annual water quality report, and our test measures what actually reaches your tap.
Chlorine or chloramine: what's in Charleston Water System?
| Chlorine | ChloramineYour water | |
|---|---|---|
| Stays active in the pipes | Shorter | Longer |
| Taste and smell | Stronger “pool” smell | Milder |
| Ordinary carbon filters | Remove it well | Remove it slowly |
| Whole-house filter media | Standard activated carbon | Catalytic carbon |
Chloramine and chlorine dioxide in Charleston
Charleston Water System disinfects with chlorine dioxide and chloramines. Chloramine is behind the pool-like taste some homes notice, and it gets past the carbon in pitcher and refrigerator filters more easily than chlorine does. A whole-house system built on catalytic carbon is designed for it.
Older homes downtown and in West Ashley can have aging plumbing, so a sediment stage protects fixtures and the filter media.
City water or well water?
On city water, a whole-house system is usually a sediment stage plus carbon or catalytic carbon for taste and odor. Wells often need different media, such as an oxidizing filter for iron and sulfur, sometimes followed by a softener or UV. How whole-house filtration works.
What happens at your free test
Your free test measures hardness, chlorine or chloramine, iron, pH and total dissolved solids at your tap, and you keep the written report. We recommend a whole-house system only if your results call for it. How the free test works.
Where we work around Charleston
We test homes across Charleston, West Ashley, James Island, Mount Pleasant, Summerville and Goose Creek.
Sources
- Charleston Water System: how hard is Charleston's water?
- Charleston Water System: how is the water disinfected?
- SCDES: well water quality testing services
Frequently asked questions
Why does my Charleston tap water smell like a pool?
That is usually the disinfectant. Charleston Water System uses chloramines and chlorine dioxide, and carbon filtration, with catalytic carbon for chloramine, removes the taste and smell.
Does a whole-house filter remove chloramine?
Standard carbon removes chloramine slowly. Catalytic carbon is designed for it and is what we use when testing shows chloramine in your water.
Whole-house filter or water softener?
They do different jobs. Filters target taste, odor, disinfectants and sediment; softeners target hardness minerals. Many homes need only one of them.