Berkeley County Water & Sanitation (BCWS)
Sangaree and Berkeley County Water & Sanitation service areas
Population reference
95,345
Billing detail
Broad public detail found
Official destination
Open provider website ↗Provider-specific findings
Billing and account research from public material
Provider-specific research notes are displayed separately from fields that contain only an unavailable-information marker. Read qualifiers in each note and verify current account terms with the provider.
- Billing frequency
- Monthly in arrears. The water meter is typically read every 28-31 days; bills become past due 15 days after the billing date.
- Rate structure
- Uniform minimum-plus-volume structure for residential water: $8.50 minimum monthly charge plus $4.81 per 1,000 gallons used or part thereof. Residential sewer is a $44.00 monthly base charge under the current July 2026 rate page rather than a separate residential usage tier.
- Residential cost reference
- At 7,000 gallons, the published residential water estimate is $8.50 plus seven increments at $4.81, or $42.17. Adding the $44.00 residential sewer charge gives an illustrative combined monthly water/sewer total of approximately $86.17 before any other county charges or special services.
- Wastewater and sewer calculation
- BCWS's current residential sewer schedule charges a flat $44.00 per month and does not bill ordinary residential sewer by water volume. Commercial accounts receive the first 7,000 gallons in the $44.00 base and pay $6.77 per additional 1,000 gallons; separate sewer-flow-meter accounts use a $44.00 base for the first 6,000 gallons and $8.00 per additional 1,000 gallons.
- Meter reading
- BCWS uses automated meter reading. Its current FAQ says the radio-read meters transmit a signal to a device in the meter reader's vehicle, and BCWS began AMR deployment in 2009 with about 22,000 units. Meters are typically read every 28-31 days; the exact Sangaree meter model and transmission interval are not published.
- New-account deposit
- The current rate page lists a $100 rental deposit. A standard universal residential credit deposit or refund-after-on-time-payment rule is not published. New residential water connections at 3/4 inch or less require a $1,050 connection fee, with separate impact, inspection and origin charges possible.
- Activation or transfer fee
- BCWS applies a non-refundable Customer Origin Charge when a customer moves into an existing connection and the meter must be turned on or a new service account is activated, but the current public fee page does not state the dollar amount. Existing-service turn-on requires 48-hour notice and is performed Monday-Friday; the $1,050 connection fee applies to a new 3/4-inch-or-smaller water connection.
Context, not a score
How documentation coverage compares
This profile
100%
overview fields with research notes
South Carolina
30%
records with any overview detail
National index
50%
records with any overview detail
Coverage measures what this directory documented. It does not measure service quality, affordability, or regulatory compliance.
Research record
Broad public detail found
7 of 7 fields in this section contain provider-specific public detail in dataset August 1, 2026.
Documented
100%
Primary verification routes
- Berkeley County Water & Sanitation (BCWS) public website ↗
Provider-controlled destination used to confirm current customer instructions.
- bcws.berkeleycountysc.gov reference ↗
Public URL preserved in the compiled record. Confirm its publisher, date, and applicability before relying on it.
- EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System ↗
Federal background on public water-system records and their limitations.