Grand Strand Water & Sewer Authority (GSWSA)
Horry County and surrounding coastal service areas in Horry, Marion, and Dillon Counties
Population reference
252,840 people (EPA SDWIS PWS ID SC2620004; 2026 active CWS record).
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. The bill is due 14 days after the bill date, and GSWSA publishes a staged past-due process before disconnection.
- Rate structure
- Increasing block tiers with separate water and sewer volumetric charges. The published schedule has a combined water-and-sewer base charge of $26.85, water-only $14.70, rural water $20.70, or sewer-only $14.50. Combined-service usage is $1.59 per 1,000 gallons through 8,000 gallons, then progressively higher tiers. During the severe-drought policy activated July 1, 2026, excess charges begin after 6,000 gallons instead of 8,000 gallons; irrigation is requested outside 6:00-9:00 a.m.
- Residential cost reference
- Using the published combined-service base and first-tier rates, a typical 5,000-7,000 gallon monthly household is approximately $47.20-$52.24 before any local supplemental charges, taxes, or service-line maintenance fees. GSWSA’s own rate page cites an average $59.41 combined water-and-sewer charge at 8,000 gallons, which is a useful cross-check for local account variations.
- Wastewater and sewer calculation
- Wastewater is billed from metered water consumption through the same GSWSA account. Sewer volume is $2.48 per 1,000 gallons through 8,000 gallons, then $2.73, $3.00, and higher successive tiers; a combined-service customer pays the $26.85 base plus the applicable water and sewer volume amounts. GSWSA also lists service-line maintenance charges by residential-equivalent unit and area-specific supplemental rates.
- Meter reading
- GSWSA bills monthly from customer water-meter consumption and provides online usage/account history, but the reviewed official pages do not identify an AMI vendor, hourly interval, or universal meter-read calendar. Customers should use the portal and compare the current read with the prior statement when investigating a leak.
- New-account deposit
- Published deposits are $40 for a property-owner water-only account, $50 sewer-only, and $90 combined water and sewer. Tenant deposits are $60 water-only, $80 sewer-only, and $140 combined. The reviewed public rate page does not describe a credit-check waiver or an automatic refund period; deposit treatment should be confirmed at application or account closure.
- Activation or transfer fee
- The published new-service installation fee is $40. Tap, meter-base, impact, and sewer-connection inspection fees can be substantial and vary by residential equivalent unit and location; ordinary account transfer details are not separately itemized on the accessible rate page.
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
- Grand Strand Water & Sewer Authority (GSWSA) public website ↗
Provider-controlled destination used to confirm current customer instructions.
- EPA SDWIS / ECHO lookup (SC2620004) ↗
Search the federal drinking-water database using public water system ID SC2620004.