Cheraw, SC: 8 Health Violations - Home Safety 78/100
1 ZIP code · 2 water systems · Updated
ZipCheckup grade for Cheraw: B.
This ZIP looks solid, with a few items worth a quick check.
Your top priority: consider a certified water filter (8 health violations on record). NSF certified filters →
Across Cheraw, EPA monitoring data shows low violation rates and healthy safety margins - a pattern that places the city well above SC's average for drinking water compliance across recent reporting cycles.
How Cheraw Compares
Data: EPA SDWIS
Key Facts for Cheraw Residents
- Your city's water systems recorded 8 violations in the past 5 years.
- Average lead level: 0.0032 mg/L.
- Homes built before 1986: 63% - older plumbing may contain lead solder.
- Estimated remediation: $2,400 per household.
- CDC health risk index: 16.41 - above typical levels.
Cheraw's Water Providers
Cheraw, SC draws its residential water from 2 separate providers among the 2 federally tracked systems. Each operates independently, with its own infrastructure, rate structure, and compliance record.
- B
- B
Overview
We track home safety data for 1 ZIP code in Cheraw, South Carolina, covering 2 community water systems serving approximately 12,860 people. The EPA snapshots used for this build directly map water systems to 1 of 1 ZIP codes.
1 of 1 ZIP code with a reported violation count in the available EPA record (100%) have recorded EPA violations. 8 health-based violations appear in the available health breakdown.
Home Safety Score
Average Home Safety Score for Cheraw: B (78/100)
Model 4.0.0 uses four measured components across three equally weighted domains. If a required domain is unavailable, no score is published:
| Factor | What It Measures |
|---|---|
| Water Quality | EPA violations and compliance history |
| PFAS MCL Screen | UCMR 5 testing against the covered federal MCLs |
| Radon Risk | EPA radon zone classification |
| Annual AQI | EPA AirData county-year median with at least 90 observed days |
Water Sources
Cheraw water systems draw from: Groundwater, Surface water.
Lead & Copper
- Average lead level (90th percentile): 0.0032 mg/L (EPA action level: 0.015 mg/L)
- 0 of 1 ZIP code with known status exceed the EPA lead action level
Radon Risk
Dominant radon zone: Zone 3 (Low Risk)
Top Contaminants
| Contaminant | Category | Violations | ZIPs Affected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) | Disinfection Byproducts | 16 | 1 |
Areas with Most Violations
| ZIP Code | Safety Score | Violations | Health-Based | System |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29520 | B | 8 | 8 | Cheraw Town of (sc1310001) |
All ZIP Codes in Cheraw
- 29520 [B] - 8 violations ⚠
Data Sources
- Water quality: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS)
- Lead/copper: EPA Lead and Copper Rule sampling data
- Radon: EPA Map of Radon Zones
Reporting periods vary by source. Missing data is shown as unavailable, not as zero.
Cheraw Community Health Snapshot
Source: CDC PLACES (County-level estimates). Water contamination can correlate with respiratory and chronic health conditions.
Compared to National Average
Vertical line = national average. ■ Above national · ■ Below national
What's in Cheraw's Water?
Based on EPA violation records. Check your ZIP code report for system-specific contaminant data.
Cheraw Infrastructure Age
With 63% of homes built before 1986, lead solder in plumbing is a potential concern. The EPA banned lead solder in 1986, but many older homes retain original plumbing.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS).
Housing Age Profile
Cheraw's housing stock is predominantly older, with a median build year of 1972 that reflects decades of construction before federal plumbing standards were tightened. The 1986 ban on lead solder and the pre-1970 era of lead service lines are both relevant benchmarks here - a significant share of the residential inventory predates one or both of those cutoffs, creating an elevated baseline for plumbing-related lead risk that aggregate water quality data may not fully reflect at the household level.
Over half of homes in Cheraw were built before 1986, when lead solder was banned. Older plumbing may leach lead into drinking water, especially with corrosive water chemistry.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS B25034.
How Remediation Costs Compare in Cheraw
What should Cheraw property owners understand before approaching remediation at this cost-to-value tier? That the equity share is elevated enough to treat this as a formal financial decision - one where knowing the full scope and prioritizing documented issues by urgency shape the outcome more than any single variable, given where this market falls on the remediation-share scale.
At 2.4% of home value, remediation costs in Cheraw represent a significant financial burden. For homes valued near the median, fixing water and safety issues could cost $1,500–$4,100. Home values here are 52% below the South Carolina average.
Cheraw: Lead Risk & Vulnerable Populations
Why children are most at risk: The CDC states there is no safe level of lead exposure for children. Children under 6 absorb lead more readily than adults, and even low levels can cause developmental delays, learning difficulties, and behavioral problems.
Pulling a tap sample fills the gap that utility data cannot close, particularly here where 63% of housing dates from the pre-rule era and citywide monitoring sits at or above the regulatory mark in Cheraw.
Sources: EPA Lead and Copper Rule, U.S. Census Bureau ACS, CDC childhood lead poisoning prevention guidelines.
Cheraw: NFIP Claim Records and Water-Quality Context
Historical NFIP data for Cheraw contains 12 flood insurance claims. Among claims with payment data, the average reported building, contents, and ICC component sum is $13,238. Among ZIP codes with claim records, 100% have an A- or V-family dominant rated zone recorded in those historical claims. This is not a complete current FEMA property-map inventory.
How flooding affects water quality: Flood events can introduce sewage, agricultural runoff, and industrial chemicals into water supplies. Even after floodwaters recede, contamination can persist in wells and aging infrastructure. The <strong>$2,400</strong> remediation estimate shown here excludes flood insurance and is not derived from NFIP claim count.
Claim count does not establish current property risk. Check the exact address in FEMA's current map and obtain a property-specific insurance quote when relevant.
Source: historical FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claim records. No current FEMA property-map designation is asserted.
Deep Dive Reports
Detailed analysis for Cheraw, SC