Water where it shouldn't be
Pipes that might be old
A freeze is coming (AI picture)
After a flood
A smell you can't place
Who to call and what they need
Whose water, town by town
Every picture on the walkWho does what, by town
Who supplies your water: six Midlands towns
The name on your water bill tells you who supplies your water, whatever town your mailing address says. Columbia and West Columbia publish their service details. The other four are partly or wholly unconfirmed, as the table says plainly.
Updated , Midlands House Walk
Start with Columbia Water, because it has spelled out who keeps what. The city owns and maintains the water main, the service line to the meter, the meter box, the meter, the sewer service line from the property line to the main, and the sewer main. You own and maintain the water line from the meter to the building, all the plumbing attached to it, and the sewer line up to the property line1.
Other utilities may divide things differently, so ask the one on your bill. Some houses have no utility at all: a private well, a septic tank, or both.
Permits go by jurisdiction too, and that can be a different office from the one that sends the bill. Lexington County’s FAQ, as extracted from a search result, covers plumbing work2, and West Columbia has its own building permits page3. Towns may run their own, so ask. Who to call has more.
| Town | What the sources show | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Columbia | Columbia Water runs two plants, Columbia Canal and Lake Murray, with about 400,000 customers and over 2,500 miles of water lines4. | If the bill says Columbia Water, the split above applies. Its usage portal shows use and sends leak notifications5. |
| West Columbia | The city system covers the city and parts of unincorporated county, bounded by Lake Murray, Columbia, Cayce, rural county served by the Joint Commission, and the Town of Lexington’s area6. | Near an edge, the bill settles it. Most residential customers are billed every other month, so a gap between bills is normal. Ask West Columbia how it splits responsibility. |
| Cayce | West Columbia’s page names the City of Cayce as its neighbor to the southeast and south6. Cayce’s own terms are unconfirmed here. | Read the bill, then ask Cayce where its responsibility ends at your address. |
| Lexington | West Columbia’s page names the Town of Lexington’s area to its west and the Joint Commission in the rural county6. Which one serves a given house is unconfirmed. | Town or Joint Commission: the name on the bill tells you. Ask that office where its side ends. |
| Irmo | Unconfirmed. Nothing checked for this page names the supplier. | Read the name on the bill and ask that utility. No bill may mean a private well, so check that too. |
| Blythewood | Also unconfirmed. Don’t assume the neighboring town’s utility serves you. | The bill decides here too. Ask who owns the line past the meter, and whether a well or septic is in the picture. |
