Swainsboro
EPA ID: GA1070005 · 9,536 people served · 5 ZIP codes
Current EPA status: Swainsboro, 8 open violations, 9,536 people served.
Data: EPA SDWIS Last verified: 2026-04-02
Compliance Trajectory
Worsening · Risk tier: High · 95% chance of violation in next 12 months
Violations went from 4 (2021) to 8 (2025). The pattern suggests growing compliance challenges.
Service Area Map
Coverage area for Swainsboro Source: EPA SDWIS service area boundaries.
Service area boundary — Grade A
Service Area Demographics
The Swainsboro serves a community with a median household income of $52,301 and an estimated 49,011 residents across its service area. Approximately 57% of housing stock was built before 1986, which increases the likelihood of lead service lines and older plumbing.
Environmental Justice Note: 90% of the population in this service area is classified as disadvantaged under EPA's EJScreen criteria. Communities with higher disadvantaged populations often face disproportionate environmental and health burdens, including aging water infrastructure and limited resources for remediation.
💧 Where Does Your Water Come From?
Swainsboro's water is pumped from underground aquifers. Groundwater is naturally filtered through rock and soil, but it can be vulnerable to PFAS contamination, nitrates from agriculture, and industrial chemicals that seep into the water table.
About 2% of homes in Emanuel County, Georgia rely on private wells rather than public water systems. Private well owners are responsible for their own water testing and treatment.
Infrastructure Risk
Detected Contaminants
How Swainsboro compares to EPA limits
What This Means For You
Arsenic at 2 mg/L exceeds the EPA maximum of 0.01 mg/L.
Consumer Confidence Report Rule at 16 mg/L exceeds the EPA maximum of mg/L.
Total Trihalomethanes (TTHM) at 1 mg/L exceeds the EPA maximum of 0.08 mg/L. Bladder & rectal cancer risk; reproductive concerns. Consider granular activated carbon (GAC) filtration.
Surface Water Treatment Rule at 9 mg/L exceeds the EPA maximum of mg/L.
Lead and Copper Rule at 7 mg/L exceeds the EPA maximum of mg/L.
Total Trihalomethanes (TTHM) was detected in this water system. granular activated carbon (GAC) filtration can reduce exposure.
Find a certified water filter →Comparable Water Systems
Similar-sized systems in Georgia
Estimated Remediation Costs
Average estimated costs across ZIP codes served by this system
Based on national averages for common remediation projects. Actual costs vary by property. Only issues flagged by EPA, FEMA, or state data for each ZIP code are included.
System Overview
Swainsboro (EPA ID: GA1070005) is a community water system in Georgia that serves approximately 9,536 people from groundwater sources.
This system provides water to 5 ZIP codes across 5 communities.
Average Home Safety Score: A (90/100)
Based on water quality violations, lead levels, and radon risk across all ZIP codes served by this system.
Violation History
Recent Violations
| Date | Contaminant | Type | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 1, 2025 | Consumer Confidence Report Rule | Monitoring | Unresolved |
| July 1, 2025 | Consumer Confidence Report Rule | Monitoring | Resolved |
| July 1, 2025 | Surface Water Treatment Rule | Monitoring | Resolved |
| February 1, 2025 | Consumer Confidence Report Rule | Monitoring | Resolved |
| October 17, 2024 | Stage 2 DBP Rule | Monitoring | Unresolved |
| October 1, 2024 | Surface Water Treatment Rule | Monitoring | Unresolved |
| July 1, 2024 | Surface Water Treatment Rule | Monitoring | Resolved |
| May 1, 2024 | Consumer Confidence Report Rule | Monitoring | Resolved |
| January 1, 2024 | Consumer Confidence Report Rule | Monitoring | Resolved |
| December 1, 2023 | Consumer Confidence Report Rule | Monitoring | Resolved |
| October 1, 2023 | Surface Water Treatment Rule | Monitoring | Unresolved |
| October 1, 2023 | Stage 1 DBP Rule | Monitoring | Resolved |
| September 7, 2023 | Lead and Copper Rule | Monitoring | Resolved |
| August 1, 2023 | Consumer Confidence Report Rule | Monitoring | Resolved |
| July 1, 2023 | Surface Water Treatment Rule | Monitoring | Resolved |
| February 24, 2023 | Lead and Copper Rule | Monitoring | Resolved |
| January 7, 2023 | Lead and Copper Rule | Monitoring | Resolved |
| January 1, 2023 | Arsenic | Monitoring | Unresolved |
Contaminants Detected
The following contaminants have been flagged in EPA records for this water system:
| Contaminant | Category | Violations | Health-Based |
|---|---|---|---|
| Consumer Confidence Report Rule | Reporting Failure | 16 | No |
| Surface Water Treatment Rule | Treatment Failure | 9 | No |
| Lead and Copper Rule | Treatment Failure | 7 | No |
| Arsenic | Inorganic | 2 | No |
| Total Trihalomethanes (TTHM) | Disinfection Byproducts | 1 | No |
| Total Coliform | Microbiological | 1 | No |
| Stage 1 DBP Rule | Treatment Failure | 1 | No |
| Stage 2 DBP Rule | Treatment Failure | 1 | No |
Lead & Copper
EPA Lead and Copper Rule sampling data for ZIP codes served by this system:
Radon Risk in Service Area
Dominant radon zone for ZIP codes served by this system: Zone 3 (Low Risk)
Need help with your water quality?
Typical cost: Water test: typically $20–$50 (DIY kit) · Professional inspection: $150–$400
Find the Right Water FilterFree tip: Let cold water run for 2 minutes before drinking — this helps flush lead from your pipes.
ZIP Codes Served
Coverage: Service area ZIP codes sourced from EPA Community Water System Service Area Boundaries v3 (March 2026 release). These ZIPs reflect the actual deployment footprint recorded by GA or modeled from parcel and building-footprint data.
Data Sources
This report uses public data from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS). View the full compliance record for Swainsboro (GA1070005) on EPA.gov.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Swainsboro water safe to drink?
Swainsboro has only monitoring/reporting violations, which are procedural in nature. The system meets federal health-based standards.
How many people does Swainsboro serve?
Swainsboro serves approximately 9,536 people across 5 ZIP codes in Georgia.
Where does Swainsboro get its water?
The primary water source is groundwater.
Contact Your Water Utility
Public-record contact information for the water utility serving this system. Use these channels to request water quality reports, ask about service, or report issues directly.
Contact information from City of Swainsboro Consumer Confidence Report.
ZipCheckup is not affiliated with this water utility, does not act as its agent, and does not provide customer support for it. Contact details shown are public-record information from CCR filings. For service issues, contact the utility directly using the information above.
Water Source & Treatment
Where this water originates and how it's treated before reaching your tap.
Source: City of Swainsboro Consumer Confidence Report.
ZipCheckup is not affiliated with this water utility. Treatment and source data are sourced from the utility's published CCR filings.
Wellhead protection program information available from CWS, 574 Industrial Way, Swainsboro GA 30401. Potential pollution sources include electrical transformers, utility poles, vehicle parking areas, sewer lines, roads, railroad tracks, abandoned wells, diesel generators, dumpsters, abandoned vehicles, industrial facilities, and water treatment facilities.
Treatment regime
How this utility classifies its treatment process and what each reported treatment chemical does.
Treatment chemicals and what each one does
Chemical names are reported verbatim by the utility. Purpose categories are ZipCheckup annotations based on standard drinking-water treatment practice.
Watershed exposure sources reported
Land-use and natural conditions identified in the utility's source-water assessment as potential contamination sources upstream of treatment.
Treatment classification and chemical list sourced from City of Swainsboro Consumer Confidence Report.
Treatment intensity is a ZipCheckup-derived classification based on the chemicals and processes the utility reports. Chemicals and contamination sources are taken verbatim from the utility's CCR filing. Routine federal monitoring and contaminant testing shown elsewhere on this page determine whether the water meets safety standards, not the treatment classification.
Federal UCMR5 PFAS Monitoring: Tested Clean
This water system was tested under the federal EPA Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR5). No PFAS compounds were detected.
Current MCL reflects the lowest state-enforceable limit (NYS 10 ppt for PFOA/PFOS, effective August 2020). The federal final MCL of 4 ppt for PFOA/PFOS (EPA April 2024 rule) is not enforceable until April 2029. Detections above 4 ppt but below 10 ppt are below current MCL but above the future federal limit.
Source: U.S. EPA UCMR5 (Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule, 5th cycle) — per-system federal sampling, 2023–2025. EPA UCMR5 monitoring program →
Lead Service Line Inventory
Service line breakdown reported under the federal Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI) inventory requirement:
This system reports zero confirmed lead service lines in its inventory. Unknown-material counts may still warrant verification.
Federal LCRI rule (effective October 2024) requires every public water system to inventory its service lines and complete lead-line replacement within 10 years.
Source: EPA SDWIS Federal Service Line Inventory (Phase 2) · Submitted 2026
ZipCheckup is not affiliated with the utility or state agency. Inventory figures render verbatim from the public LCRI submission cited above; ZipCheckup does not perform inspections or replacements.
Notable events and violations
This section summarizes events the utility chose to disclose in its most recent Consumer Confidence Report, plus any federal compliance violations the utility recorded against itself. Both lists are utility-authored — ZipCheckup does not audit, judge, or reorder them.
Notable events from the utility's CCR
These bullet entries are the utility's own narration of operational, regulatory, or infrastructure events during the reporting period.
- Monitoring violation: RTCR routine sampling missed January 2024.
- 5 contaminants detected total (Chlorine, Barium, Fluoride, Copper — Lead not listed in table but mentioned in narrative). 125+ tests conducted for 160+ contaminants.
- Lead table shows no lead entry in the contaminant table — only Copper from 2022.
ZipCheckup note: items above reflect what the utility published in its most recent CCR. Federal violation records are also tracked separately by the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) — the SDWIS record is the authoritative federal source for any specific regulatory action.
How Water Systems Appear in Rankings
Water systems are evaluated by violation history, contaminant detections, and service population. Larger systems with more service connections appear in more rankings.
Frequently Asked Questions
What You Can Do
Test your water
Home test kits can detect lead, bacteria, and other contaminants at your tap. Find the right filter →
Check your specific ZIP code
Water quality can vary within a system. View nearest ZIP report →
Contact your utility
Swainsboro (EPA ID: GA1070005) — request the latest Consumer Confidence Report or ask about specific contaminants.