An Assessment of Drinking Water Equity in South Carolina: Access, Affordability, Quality, and Private Well Resources

Universal access to good quality, affordable drinking water is a goal that has not yet been reached in the United States. Recently, national studies have investigated drinking water burdens including lack of access to complete plumbing, unaffordability, and poor quality individually. However, no study has examined all of these drinking water burdens together to identify communities facing multiple burdens. This study addresses this gap by analyzing disparities in access to complete plumbing, affordability of public water sources, and drinking water quality of community water systems in South Carolina and identifying communities that face multiple burdens. This study also provides the first known analysis of the spatial distribution and demographics of private well users in South Carolina, since private wells are known to be at risk of water quality issues. Results indicate that demographic and socioeconomic characteristics associated with social vulnerability are also associated with drinking water burdens, indicating equity and environmental justice concerns. We also find that all drinking water burdens included in this study show distinct spatial and sociodemographic patterns, indicating that these are separate issues impacting mostly distinct geographies and groups of people.