This situation is a significant concern regarding PFAS in Pocotaligo River as Forever Chemicals are known to cause cancer.
CHARLESTON, S.C. — On behalf of Winyah Rivers Alliance, the Southern Environmental Law Center today notified the City of Sumter and several of its industrial plants that they must stop illegally discharging per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) into the Pocotaligo River within 60 days or face a federal lawsuit under the Clean Water Act.
Understanding the Impact of PFAS in Pocotaligo River
Testing from the Sumter wastewater treatment plant confirms that it is discharging high levels of toxic PFAS, tainting the water and fish of the Pocotaligo River with harmful chemicals.
Citing extensive sampling data, the notice states that industrial plants are illegally sending PFAS into the City’s sewers, including Sumter-based Giant Resource Recovery, Phibro-Tech, Inc., and Carolina Filters, Inc. Sumter knowingly accepts this PFAS at its wastewater treatment plant, where it discharges the PFAS into the Pocotaligo River. The PFAS also contaminates Sumter’s wastewater treatment sludge, which the City sells for fertilizer that may be spread on lands and crops by farmers unaware of the risks.
The ongoing issue of PFAS in Pocotaligo River poses a serious health threat. A similar meeting will be held in Conway, SC concerning Forever Chemicals in the Waccamaw River which rate 12 times unsafe for drinking by the EPA.
“For years, the City of Sumter has allowed industry to pass toxic chemicals through the City’s treatment plant, resulting in one of the most PFAS-polluted rivers in the Nation,” said Carl Brzorad, SELC Senior Attorney. “We are calling on Sumter to follow its own ordinances and the Clean Water Act and tell industry to stop sending toxic PFAS into the City’s sewers. We are prepared to take legal action if the City refuses to follow the law and keeps polluting the Pocotaligo River. The community deserves to know about the dangers of PFAS in Pocotaligo River.”
PFAS are commonly called ‘forever chemicals’ because they do not break down and are linked to a broad range of cancers and other serious illnesses. In 2025, a nationwide report by the Waterkeeper Alliance found that the Pocotaligo River next to the Sumter treatment plant was “the most contaminated” with PFAS out of 32 rivers tested across the country. The report confirmed the findings of the South Carolina Department of Environmental Services, which found that the water and fish in the Pocotaligo River were among the most contaminated with PFAS in South Carolina.
“Sumter is siding with industrial polluters over the fishers, hunters, swimmers, and landowners who depend on the Pocotaligo River and the Black River downstream,” said Erin Donmoyer, the Black-Sampit Riverkeeper. “Families and communities should not bear the costs of this industrial pollution. We are prepared to go to court to defend our clean water and clean fish if Sumter continues to violate the law and pollute our rivers.”
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About Southern Environmental Law Center
The Southern Environmental Law Center is one of the nation’s most powerful defenders of the environment, rooted in the South. With a long track record, SELC takes on the toughest environmental challenges in court, in government, and in our communities to protect our region’s air, water, climate, wildlife, lands, and people. Nonprofit and nonpartisan, the organization has a staff of 250, including more than 160 legal and policy experts and advocates, and is headquartered in Charlottesville, VA, with offices in Asheville, Atlanta, Birmingham, Chapel Hill, Charleston, Nashville, Richmond, and Washington, DC.
selc.org
Winyah Rivers Alliance is an Alliance of Riverkeepers protecting our rivers for fishing, swimming and drinking. We conserve our land and water for the benefit of our families and our future. Incorporated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 2001, we began as a grassroots organization of people from North and South Carolina to watch over the watersheds of the Lower Pee Dee Basin.
PFAS in Pocotaligo River: Is the Water Safe to Drink?
The PFAS in Pocotaligo River in Sumter County, South Carolina, has emerged as a national flashpoint in the fight against PFAS contamination — and recent studies suggest the answer to whether its water is safe is deeply troubling.
The Highest PFAS Levels in the Nation
A 2025 study by the National Waterkeeper Alliance tested 22 U.S. waterways and found that the Pocotaligo River had the highest PFAS levels of any waterway in the country (WLOS). This finding did not come as a surprise to local watchdogs. As early as March 2023, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) had recorded PFAS readings six miles from the river’s mouth that were higher than nearly anywhere else in the nation (WPDE).
Where Is the Contamination Coming From?
According to a DHEC technical report, the Pocotaligo River is a “complex watershed” with multiple upstream tributaries acting as sources of PFAS input (SC DHEC PDF). A major contributor appears to be Sumter’s wastewater treatment facilities, which have become conduits for forever chemicals. As Earth Island Institute reported in April 2026, PFAS in Pacotaigo levels are “particularly pronounced” in the river, with municipal wastewater systems funneling the pollution directly into the river (Earth Island Institute).
Is the Water Safe per EPA Standards?
🚨 By every available measure — no. The detected PFAS in Pocotaligo River far exceed the EPA’s 2024 enforceable limits of 4 parts per trillion (ppt) for PFOA and PFOS.
The EPA’s first-ever PFAS drinking water regulation requires public water systems to comply by 2029, but the Pocotaligo’s contamination levels raise urgent questions about exposure for residents relying on nearby wells or untreated water sources.
What Should Residents Do?
- Do not consume untreated water from the Pocotaligo River or nearby sources
- Request PFAS testing through DHEC or independent laboratories
- Monitor public utility reports for compliance updates
- Advocate for accelerated cleanup and wastewater treatment upgrades in Sumter County
The Pocotaligo River’s distinction as the most PFAS-contaminated waterway in the nation is a stark warning — and a call to action for regulators, utilities, and communities alike.
Authorities caution not to drink water from the river because PFAS in Pocotaligo River are known cancer causing agents.
PFAS in Pocotaligo River are associated with these types of cancer.
