Columbia’s water quality receives a mid-tier ranking among college towns, study finds

Columbia ranked 31st out of 50 college towns in a new water quality analysis from Culligan ZeroWater.

The study examined publicly available water quality data from 50 college communities across all 50 states. Researchers looked specifically at lead and five types of PFAS, commonly known as “forever chemicals.” Those results were then used to assign each city an overall score and ranking.

The study gave Columbia a “C” grade for lead, a finding that reflects a broader issue seen across college towns nationwide, according to Culligan. The company found 82% of the communities it studied had lead levels above the Environmental Protection Agency’s health-based goal of zero lead in drinking water.

Outside of its lead grade, Columbia received a perfect score in all three PFAS categories measured in the study. No detections were recorded for either of the two specific chemicals or the study’s overall PFAS mixture measure.

The ranking is based on publicly available data from Columbia’s water system and does not include separate, university-operated private water systems, according to Culligan Vice President of Consumer Products Julia Reardon.

According to Culligan, 92% of the college towns analyzed had at least one harmful contaminant detected in their water.

Reardon said the ranking is intended to encourage students and families to pay more attention to the water they drink every day.

“The findings are an opportunity for students and families to better understand what contaminants may be hiding in their tap water,” Reardon said.

Columbia residents can use the city’s annual water quality report to see what contaminants have been detected in the municipal water supply.

Reardon said residents concerned about contaminants can consider a water filter that has been independently certified to reduce the specific contaminant they’re concerned about, such as lead or PFAS.

“Because water quality can also be affected by aging infrastructure or plumbing before it reaches the tap, filtration can provide an additional layer of protection at home,” Reardon said.

The five lowest-ranked college towns in the analysis were:

• Columbia, South Carolina
• Tempe, Arizona
• Newark, Delaware
• New York
• New Brunswick, New Jersey

The five highest-ranked college towns were:

• Morgantown, West Virginia
• Albuquerque, New Mexico
• Blacksburg, Virginia
• Boise, Idaho
• Durham, New Hampshire