Across North Charleston, 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.

Data: EPA SDWIS

Overview

We track home safety data for 5 ZIP codes in North Charleston, South Carolina (population ~75,617), covering 4 community water systems serving approximately 437,202 people region-wide. The EPA snapshots used for this build directly map water systems to 3 of 5 ZIP codes.

2 of 3 ZIP codes with a reported violation count in the available EPA record (67%) have recorded EPA violations. The available record reports no health-based violations for this measured scope.

Home Safety Score

Average Home Safety Score for North Charleston: B (83/100)

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

North Charleston water systems draw from: Surface water.

Lead & Copper

• Average lead level (90th percentile): 0.0035 mg/L (EPA action level: 0.015 mg/L)
• 0 of 3 ZIP codes with known status exceed the EPA lead action level

Radon Risk

Dominant radon zone: Zone 3 (Low Risk)

• Zone 1 (High): 0 ZIP codes
• Zone 2 (Moderate): 0 ZIP codes
• Zone 3 (Low): 5 ZIP codes

Top Contaminants

Areas with Most Violations

Areas with No Violations

All ZIP Codes in North Charleston

• 29405 [B]
• 29415
• 29418 [B] - 2 violations
• 29419
• 29420 - 2 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.

Housing Age Profile

North Charleston's housing stock is predominantly older, with a median build year of 1982 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.

1982

Median Year Built

51%

Pre-1986 (Lead Paint Risk)

17%

Pre-1970 (Lead Pipes Risk)

Pre-1970 (17%) 1970–1986 (34%) Post-1986 (49%)

Over half of homes in North Charleston 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 North Charleston

How much of a North Charleston home's value does documented remediation represent? A small fraction - the equity share here is in the low tier, and from a household financial perspective, most property owners are considering a commitment that fits comfortably within standard planning rather than a decision that rises to the level of a material budget event or significant equity consideration.

Median Home Value

$266,200

Est. Remediation

$2,000

Remediation as % of home value 0.8%

Remediation costs in North Charleston are relatively low compared to home values. The $1,333–$2,833 estimated range is a small fraction of median property value. Home values are 29% above the South Carolina average.

North Charleston: Lead Risk & Vulnerable Populations

51%

Homes Built Before 1986

0.0035

mg/L Avg Lead (Limit: 0.015)

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 51% of housing dates from the pre-rule era and citywide monitoring sits at or above the regulatory mark in North Charleston.

Sources: EPA Lead and Copper Rule, U.S. Census Bureau ACS, CDC childhood lead poisoning prevention guidelines.

North Charleston: NFIP Claim Records and Water-Quality Context

673

Total FEMA Flood Claims

$21,516

Avg Reported Sum With Payment Data

33%

A/V Share of Claim-Record ZIPs

Historical NFIP data for North Charleston contains 673 flood insurance claims. Among claims with payment data, the average reported building, contents, and ICC component sum is $21,516. Among ZIP codes with claim records, 33% 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>$2,000</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.