Free testing, with limits
South Carolina tests wells for free for people over 65 or on public assistance. Check which tests it includes before you count on it for arsenic.
South Carolina's private well pageArsenic in South Carolina well water, by county
Arsenic is rare in tested South Carolina wells: in all 6 counties with enough tests, fewer than 5% of tested wells were over the limit. A county's share tells you how likely a problem is nearby. Only a test of your own well tells you what's in it.
How South Carolina compares with the rest of the country
Across South Carolina, 1 of 204 tested wells had arsenic over the EPA limit of 10 µg/L (1 of 204). Across all tested wells in the US it's about 1 in 9. That's less often than in the country as a whole. Counties still differ, so check yours below.
Why it matters: Drinking it for years raises the risk of skin, bladder and lung cancer.
Arsenic dissolves out of certain rocks and old sediments, so it can be high even where nobody has polluted anything.
Arsenic in tested wells, county by county
Share of each county's tested wells with at least one result over the EPA limit of 10 µg/L. Counties need 10 or more tested wells to be listed. Widespread means 15% or more, worth checking 5 to 15%, rare under 5%.
| County | Wells tested | Wells over the limit | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richland County | 34 | Rare | |
| Orangeburg County | 18 | Rare | |
| Colleton County | 16 | Rare | |
| Beaufort County | 14 | Rare | |
| Berkeley County | 11 | Rare | |
| Charleston County | 10 | Rare |
32 more South Carolina counties have 1 to 9 tested wells for arsenic, too few to rate.
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Where to get your well tested for arsenic in South Carolina
A lab South Carolina certifies
Ask for arsenic by name. Results from a certified lab count for a home sale or a loan.
Labs certified by South CarolinaA mail-in kit
Fill the bottles at your kitchen tap and mail them back. We mark the kits that include arsenic.
Compare kitsKeep reading about wells in South Carolina
- Well water testing in South Carolina: how to get tested and what turns up statewide
- Arsenic in well water: where it comes from, what it does and how to remove it
- Nitrate in South Carolina wells, by county
- Uranium in South Carolina wells, by county
- Manganese in South Carolina wells, by county
- Lead in South Carolina wells, by county
Questions people ask about arsenic in South Carolina
Is there arsenic in South Carolina well water?
Arsenic is rare in tested South Carolina wells: in all 6 counties with enough tests, fewer than 5% of tested wells were over the limit. Across South Carolina, 1 of 204 tested wells had arsenic over the EPA limit of 10 µg/L (1 of 204). Across all tested wells in the US it's about 1 in 9. That's less often than in the country as a whole. Counties still differ, so check yours below.
Where can I get my well tested for arsenic in South Carolina?
South Carolina tests wells for free for people over 65 or on public assistance. If that doesn't cover you, use a lab certified by South Carolina for drinking water, or a mail-in kit that includes arsenic from a certified lab.
See South Carolina's list of certified labs, or compare mail-in kits.
Where these numbers come from
- Lab tests: Water Quality Portal (USGS and EPA), well samples since 2000. A well counts as over if any of its tests was over the EPA limit of 10 µg/L. Wells tested for studies and monitoring, not a random sample of homes.
- Likely overstated: our own check of who tested the wells, when and where. How we check.
- State programs and links: Department of Environmental Services (SCDES).