Sumter, SC water hardness

Tap water hardness
23mg/L
1.4gpg
SoftCounty estimate

County estimate from 824 water samples in Sumter County · July 2026

SC typical
32 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
0
Data
County estimate

Water samples from around Sumter put hardness at about 23 mg/L (1.4 gpg), which would be soft on the USGS scale. Treat this as a rough guide: it is the median of 824 samples taken across Sumter County, mostly wells and streams, not a test of Sumter's treated tap water.

Sumter on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+SC typical 32Florence: 21 mg/LFlorence 21Columbia: 37 mg/LColumbia 37Woodfield: 37 mg/LWoodfield 37Dentsville: 37 mg/LDentsville 37Forest Acres: 37 mg/LForest Acres 37Cayce: 37 mg/LCayce 37Blythewood: 37 mg/LBlythewood 37West Columbia: 37 mg/LWest Columbia 37St. Andrews: 37 mg/LSt. Andrews 37Seven Oaks: 37 mg/LSeven Oaks 37Sumter 23mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+SC 32Florence: 21 mg/LFlorence 21Columbia: 37 mg/LColumbia 37Woodfield: 37 mg/LWoodfield 37Dentsville: 37 mg/LDentsville 37Forest Acres: 37 mg/LForest Acr. 37Cayce: 37 mg/LCayce 3723 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Sumter sits close to the typical South Carolina figure of 32 mg/L. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 1 has softer water and 9 have harder. The range nearby runs from 21 mg/L in Florence to 37 in Columbia.

What 23 mg/L means at home

Soap and shampoo lather with very little product. Kettles and showerheads stay mostly free of white crust.

Some people notice that soap feels slow to rinse off in soft water. That slippery feel is normal and harmless.

Hardness is not a health problem, and EPA sets no limit for it. It is a matter of scale and soap.

What to do about it

Nothing, as far as hardness goes. At 23 mg/L a softener would have almost nothing to remove.

Carbon filter

If the water tastes of chlorine, a pitcher or faucet carbon filter takes care of that. It does not change hardness.

EPA record for Sumter's water system

Sumter City of (Sc4310001) · PWSID SC4310001

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 53,070 people from groundwater.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
0
Open now
0

EPA lists this system as serving Sumter.

Health-based means a contaminant above its legal limit or a missed treatment step. Monitoring and reporting violations are late or missing tests and notices. Source: EPA ECHO, 2026Q3 export, violations with periods starting 2016 or later. Full EPA record.

Questions

Is Sumter water hard?

No. It measures about 23 mg/L (1.4 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

What is the water hardness in Sumter in grains per gallon?

About 1.4 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 23 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 1.4.

Has the Sumter water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Sumter City of (Sc4310001) since 2016.

Nearby cities

All 58 cities in South Carolina

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (county estimate, July 4, 2026), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.