Taste and Odor Issue
Update – January 5:
Our drinking water professionals are continuing to address the unpleasant taste and odor issue caused by historically high levels of MIB, a naturally occurring compound associated with algae, in our drinking water reservoirs.
State honors R.B. Simms and Landrum Water Treatment Facilities
February 4th 2026
SPARTANBURG –The Landrum and R.B. Simms Water Treatment Facilities received the South Carolina Area-Wide Optimization Excellence Award for calendar year 2024, awarded November 17, 2025. The Area-Wide Optimization Program (AWOP) provides tools and approaches for drinking water systems to meet water quality optimization goals and provide an increased – and sustainable – level of public health protection to their consumers.
“We appreciate the honor recently given to both of our drinking water treatment plants by SCDES,” said Ken Tuck, Spartanburg Water’s Director of Drinking Water Services. “This recognition shows what we hope the public can see every day: our commitment at all of our facilities to provide safe drinking water that more than meets the current standards.”
The South Carolina Department of Environmental Services (SCDES) initiated the program in 1997. AWOP is an effort to optimize the performance of existing surface water treatment facilities. The goal of the program is to optimize particle removal and disinfection at all filtration plants to maximize public health protection. AWOP was originally focused on microbial contaminants but has expanded to include a disinfectant byproducts (DBP) component, further recognizing water systems that are protective of public health by reducing exposure to DBP’s (which can occur when disinfectants react with naturally occurring materials in the water).
Management is proud of this achievement as it shows optimization of Spartanburg Water's drinking water treatment facilities and the capabilities of staff to provide water quality that exceeds regulatory requirements.
ABOUT SPARTANBURG WATER: Spartanburg Water, an industry leading utility, is comprised of Spartanburg Water System and Spartanburg Sanitary Sewer District. It serves a population of about 200,000 within Spartanburg County, as well as others in parts of Greenville, Union and Cherokee counties. With the help of its dedicated team of more than 300 employees, each day it produces an average of 25 million gallons of drinking water and cleans 14 million gallons of reclaimed water for its customers and community. For more information on Spartanburg Water’s water quality efforts, visit us at spartanburgwater.org.
ABOUT SCDES: The South Carolina Department of Environmental Services (SCDES) is the state regulatory agency charged with promoting and protecting the state's public health and its land, air, coastal resources and water quality as authorized by federal and state law.
