How often does LCWSC expand its water and sewer systems?

LCWSC began providing public water to unincorporated areas in Laurens County in 1972 as Rabon Creek Rural Water District. We installed small lines adequate to provide drinking water to existing homes at that time, as required by the lending agency, Farmers Home Administration (FHA). Fire flow was not a priority during FHA funding. This installation allowed LCWSC to serve many homes with our limited funding. The current population and expected growth have made the replacement of these waterlines a necessity. These new larger lines allow LCWSC to provide better service to all homes in this area and provide water service and fire protection to industrial prospects looking for commercial sites.

Can I keep my private well?

All property owners in the unincorporated areas are free to dig private wells for outside watering. These wells may not be connected to the same plumbing as your public water tap because private wells are not considered for public use. South Carolina state law and Cross Connection Control require that homes connected to a public water system cannot also be connected to a private well.

Where does my water come from?

Currently, LCWSC purchases water in relatively equal amounts from the City of Clinton, City of Laurens, and the Greenville Water System. Depending on your residential address, you may receive water from any or all of these sources.

LCWSC’s customer base has outgrown that of the City of Laurens and the City of Clinton water systems combined. With our growing customer base, we are constantly searching for ways to improve our service to you without increasing your bill. As part of this effort we continue to negotiate lower rates from our water suppliers and we also search for alternative water sources.

Is the electronic meter reading system effective?

Because LCWSC has a large, rural water system, personally reading each meter is labor intensive and costly to you. To overcome this challenge, LCWSC completed a project to convert all meters to radio read meters in 1998. This system allows us to collect information from our customer base of 12,000 taps and almost 875 miles of water main in a timely and cost-effective manner.

Your water is still measured the same way with the new radio read meters. The difference in these meters is the method we use to record those measurements. The meter now has a separate transmitter inside the meter that sends a signal of your water measurement. The signal is collected by a laptop in the meter-reading vehicle and is accurate at speeds up to 55 mph.

A common misconception is that the new meters do not allow for accurate measures of water meters if the vehicle is traveling at a high speed. However, these new meters contain unique identifiers, much like those found in cell phones, to ensure the electronic reading is recorded correctly and to the correct account.

This system is one that has been implemented across the country in rural and metropolitan areas. It allows LCWSC to use one meter-reader, thus cost-effectively serving the entire customer base and keeping your rates minimal.