South Carolina River ‘Most Contaminated’ With Toxic PFAS in the U.S.: Report

Webcam
view
of
the
Pocotaligo
River
at
I-95
above
Manning,
South
Carolina
on
June
30,
2025.
South
Atlantic
Water
Science
Center
(SAWSC)

South
Carolina’s
Pocotaligo
River
has
been
found
by
Waterkeeper
Alliance
to
be
the
most
polluted
with
hazardous

per-
and
polyfluoroalkyl
substances
(PFAS)
in
the
country.

The
findings
have
implications
for
the
health
of
residents
who
fish
from
the
river,
as
well
as

rivers
downstream.

“The
high
levels
of
PFAS
in
the
Pocotaligo
River
are
very
concerning,
especially
for
the
people
who
fish
in
the
river,’’
said

Carl
Brzorad,
an
attorney
with
Southern
Environmental
Law
Center,
in
an
email
to
The
State.
“All
indications
are
that
industrial
dischargers
in
Sumter
are
dumping
toxic
PFAS
into
the
Pocotaligo
through
the
town’s
wastewater
treatment
plant,
which
is
not
equipped
to
treat
these
chemicals.
These
industrial
polluters
need
to
treat
their
PFAS
so
that
it
doesn’t
poison
rivers
and
fish.’’

[embedded content]

Brzorad
criticized
the
South
Carolina
Department
of
Environmental
Services
(DES)
for
not
using
the
Clean
Water
Act
to
limit
wastewater
discharges
of
PFAS.
The
law
permits
DES
to
regulate
discharges,
but
Brzorad
said,
“DES
has
never
set
limits
on
PFAS
in
a
discharge
permit.”

“The
Pocotaligo
is
perhaps
the
worst
example
in
South
Carolina
of
DES’s
failure
to
enforce
the
law
and
control
industrial
PFAS
pollution,”
Brzorad
said.

Though
the
Pocotaligo
is
not
currently
a
source
of
public

drinking
water,
the
fact
that
it
is
contaminated
with
PFAS
could
hamper
efforts
to
establish
plants
as
groundwater
supplies
dwindle.

In
the
report,

Unnatural,
Unbreakable,
Unseen:
Uncovering
PFAS
Contamination
in
Frontline
Communities,
the
researchers
reveal
that
98
percent
of
waters
in
the
U.S.
are
contaminated
with
PFAS.

Elevated
levels
of
the
toxic
chemical
compounds
were
detected
at
95
percent
of
sites
located
downstream
from

wastewater
treatment
plants
(WWTPs),
a
press
release
from
Waterkeeper
Alliance
said.
Eighty
percent
of
sampled
sites
downstream
from
biosolids
application
fields
were
also
contaminated.

The
new
report
built
on
the

2022
Phase
I
report
by
Waterkeeper
Alliance.
The
Phase
II
report
focused
especially
on
sites
downstream
from
permitted
biosolids
application
fields
and
WWTPs
in
disproportionately
impacted
communities
in
19
states.

“PFAS
can
contaminate
our
water,
soil,
air,
and
evidence
suggests
that
it
is
linked
to
several
diseases
and
health
risks,”
said
Vanessa
Muñoz,
Waterways
Program
Manager
for
the
Hispanic
Access
Foundation,
in
the
press
release.
“But
what
is
often
overlooked
is
who
is
being
exposed
to
it
and
why,
and
unfortunately
Latino
and
other
communities
of
color
are
disproportionately
faced
to
bear
the
burden.”

The
total
PFAS
detected
by
Waterkeeper
Alliance
exceeded
the
Environmental
Working
Group’s
health-based
criteria
of
one
part
per
trillion
(ppt)
at
all
WWTPs
and
90
percent
of
the
biosolids
sites.

[embedded content]

The
contamination
also
surpassed
federal
thresholds
for
PFOS
and
PFOA
—
two
of
the
most
hazardous
PFAS
—
for
drinking
water
at
multiple
sites,
some
of
which
exceeded
10
ppt.

Downstream
from
17
of
the
WWTPs,
total
PFAS
increased,
with
one
spiking
to
228.29
ppt
—
almost
3,000
percent.
Downstream
from
six
of
the
biosolids
application
sites,
total
PFAS
was
also
higher,
with
one
site
spiking
to
106.51
ppt
—
over
5,100
percent.

The
report
comes
months
after
an
announcement
of
plans
by
the
U.S.
Environmental
Protection
Agency
(EPA)
to
weaken
drinking
water
standards
for
PFAS
in
the
U.S.
According
to
the
EPA,
the
drinking
water
supply
of
roughly

100
million
people
living
in
the
country
is
affected
by
the
dangerous
chemicals.

EPA
Administrator
Lee
Zeldin
is
considering
delaying
the
enforcement
of
new
regulations
for
PFOS
and
PFOA,
as
well
as
rolling
back
rules
for
several
harmful
compounds
like
GenX,
PFHxS
and
PFNA.

The
lack
of
federal
limits
on
PFAS
in
biosolids
further
compounds
the
issue.
The
EPA
has
been
aware
of
the
presence
of
the
unhealthy
chemical
compounds
in
biosolids

since
at
least
2003.

“There
is
no
denying
that
PFAS
contamination
is
a
national
crisis.
Our
latest
sampling
confirms
that
it’s
widespread
and
persistent,
threatening
waterways
and
public
health
across
the
country,”
said
CEO
of
Waterkeeper
Alliance
Marc
Yaggi
in
the
press
release.
“Local
Waterkeepers
and
partners
bring
deep
local
knowledge
and
dedication
to
this
ongoing
effort,
helping
to
fill
critical
data
gaps,
driving
policy
and
solutions.”

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