Frequently Asked Questions on Walhalla Water
Walhalla Water Quality and Water Meters (10/2/25)
The City has received a number of questions about our water system over the past few months and our goal is to make sure that our citizens are informed. The best way to counter incorrect is with facts and this is what we intend to do.
This FAQ format press release focuses on Walhalla Water quality and water meters. We plan to issue more FAQs covering water topics in the near future.
Water Quality
Q: Is Walhalla’s water safe to drink?
A: Yes! In a report covering 2024, the South Carolina Department of Environmental Safety (DES, formerly DHEC) determined that Walhalla’s water supply meets or exceeds all of the EPA standards for clean drinking water. This is consistent with the annual reports from 2022 and 2023. Our water plant operators routinely test the water to ensure that our drinking water meets drinking water standards. You can find out more information here: https://www.cityofwalhalla.com/departments/public-utilities/.
Q: Why is my water discolored sometimes?
A: The Walhalla Water system has been in operation for more than 100 years, and some of our water mains are made of cast iron. Whenever the water velocity or flow changes from normal, sediment from these old mains is picked up by the water and shows up as discoloration. Incidents that can cause this include:
- Fire hydrant testing – causes a temporary increase in water velocity as fire crews check hydrant operability. Note that hydrant maintenance, including flushing, occurs in October to protect the City’s fire protection system.
- Water main breaks – cause a temporary increase in flow velocity and in some cases also cause a reversal in the normal flow direction of the water.
Sediments in water mains sometimes get stirred up when the flow of water in mains is increased. These sediments might cause your water to appear brown or yellow.
If you have consistent water issues please let us know online at Report an Issue – City of Walhalla or by calling the Water Department at 864-638-4343, extension 2. Outside of regular business hours, including weekends and holidays, the number for water emergencies is 864-499-4162.
Q: I see some people complaining on social media about discolored water recently. How many instances of discolored water have been reported to the city recently?
A: Since August 1st, the city has received fourteen complaints of discolored water from customers – five during the performance of regular hydrant maintenance. City workers have successfully addressed each of them. We ask that Walhalla water customers please report any problems they are having with their water to us so that we can address them. Customers may report problems online at Report an Issue – City of Walhalla or by calling 864-638-4343 during normal business hours (9:00am – 5:00pm) or by calling our emergency number, 864-499-4162, after hours, during holidays, and on weekends.
Q: Is it true that the city has received two failing reports from the SC Department of Health in the past year related to its water quality?
A: No! The city has not received any violations of its water quality from SC DES or DPH. The Department of Public Health (DPH) provides services including health care services, coordinating disease control, supporting healthy nutrition, responding to natural disasters and more; but it does not regulate drinking water standards. SC DES is responsible for the regulation of drinking water systems and did issue reports outlining procedures that needed improvement, but none were related to the quality of the drinking water. SC DES provides an overview of all SC water systems, including any violations; and may be found online at Water Systems.
Water Meters
Q: Is the city really losing $200,000 a month due to 330 defective water meters?
A: There is no credible evidence to support this claim, and the numbers just don’t add up. However, we believe that the city is losing some revenue from defective meters and incorrect data entry, but there is also no evidence that any such loss rises anywhere close to this amount. The city has allocated funds in this year’s budget and had funds available in the last four years of budgets. It is estimated that the allocated funding will replace far more than 330 water meters.
Q: Is it true that a city water meter at a car wash has not worked for 19 years?
A: City officials are aware of a non-working water meter at a car wash, but it has not been inoperable for 19 years. Based on average water usage for this type of business, the city has lost as much as $5,000 a year as a result. The city will resolve this issue as part of our replacement of downtown water lines this year. We are looking into why it was not corrected earlier to keep similar situations from occurring in the future.
We continue to encourage citizens to review the water strategy that council adopted in August 2024 (by a 5-1 vote): walhalla-water-strategy.pdf
Previous Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on Walhalla water can be found here: faqs.pdf and here Frequently Asked Questions on Walhalla Water – The Walhalla Water Plant (September 2025) – City of Walhalla.
