Conway water at a glance
- Water utility
- City of Conway, which buys its water from GSWSA
- Source
- Bull Creek, an arm of the Great Pee Dee River, treated at GSWSA's Bull Creek plant (GSWSA)
- Disinfection
- Chloramines, with a routine yearly switch to free chlorine while lines are flushed (City of Conway)
- Hardness
- Listed in the city's annual water quality report; your test measures your own tap
- Private wells
- Common outside city limits and across western Horry County
Which utility serves your home?
Around Conway, water comes from several utilities:
- City of Conway serves homes inside city limits, with water purchased from GSWSA.
- Grand Strand Water & Sewer Authority (GSWSA) serves much of western Horry County, including areas around Aynor and Green Sea.
- Town of Loris serves Loris, supplied from GSWSA's Bull Creek plant.
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 Conway city water (GSWSA)?
| ChlorineA few weeks a year | ChloramineMost of the year | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Conway's yearly chlorine switch
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Free chlorine (2026: March) Chloramines the rest of the year
The yearly chlorine switch in Conway
Most of the year, GSWSA disinfects Conway's water with chloramines. Once a year it switches to free chlorine while it flushes lines west of the Waccamaw River, and the City of Conway tells residents they may notice a slight chlorine taste or smell. A whole-house system built on catalytic carbon handles chloramine the rest of the year and removes free chlorine easily during the switch.
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 Conway
We test homes across Conway, Aynor, Loris and the rest of western Horry County.
Sources
- GSWSA: Bull Creek Water Treatment Plant
- GSWSA: chloramine FAQ (chloramine is the primary disinfectant, since 1993)
- GSWSA: March 2026 flushing and free-chlorine notice, western Horry County
- City of Conway: annual switch from chloramines to free chlorine
- SCDES: well water quality testing services
Frequently asked questions
When does GSWSA switch to free chlorine?
It is a routine yearly switch announced in advance by GSWSA and the City of Conway; the 2026 switch was in March. Watch city notices for the exact dates.
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.