Director: Waccamaw Neck water is safe to drink

After a recent violation of a drinking water standard, officials with Georgetown County Water and Sewer District say there is no danger to Waccamaw Neck water customers and their water is safe to drink.
In a letter to customers dated Dec. 19, GCWSD officials stated that drinking water is monitored quarterly for the presence of disinfectant byproducts and a recent sampling at one location showed that the system exceeded the standards for haloacetic acids.
The letter stated that the level of that chemical was 62 parts per billion at one Waccamaw Neck site, which exceeds the standard of 60 parts per billion.
"This was a one-time outlier that has never happened before," GCWSD Executive Director Ray Gagnon said.
"We want our customers to know that their water is safe to drink and there is no problem."
DHEC Public Information Officer Tommy Crosby released this statement: "Georgetown County Water and Sewer District exceeded the maximum contamination level at one location in their distribution system over the compliance period from October 2016 through September 2017.
GCWSD has evaluated their processes and taken steps to return to compliance.
Gagnon said the test site that showed the discrepancy was actually at his house, which is one of the homes pre-approved by DHEC for sampling since before he moved there.
The GCWSD letter further states that people do not need to use an alternative source of water.
However, people should consult their health care provider if there are any specific health concerns.

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