Infrastructure Week: Investing in the Systems Our Community Depends On 

Infrastructure Week is a chance to recognize the systems that make everyday life possible. Clean drinking water, wastewater treatment, and fire protection are easy to take for granted, but they are essential to public health, safety, economic growth, and quality of life in Laurens County. 

For over 50 years, Laurens County Water and Sewer Commission has worked to deliver reliable, high-quality water and environmentally sound wastewater service to the people, businesses, schools, and industries that call our community home. 

Today, LCWSC serves more than 51,400 people across more than 18,500 accounts. Each day, the system delivers about 3.2 million gallons of drinking water, treats about 1.1 million gallons of wastewater, maintains more than nine hundred miles of water lines, operates about one hundred miles of sewer mains, provides wholesale sewer treatment services for the City of Clinton and supports fire protection through 1,135 hydrants. Over the past decade, more than $100 million has been invested in water and sewer infrastructure across Laurens County. 

That level of service requires constant attention. Infrastructure ages, equipment wears down, and operating costs change over time. Even when systems are performing well, they still require steady maintenance, rehabilitation, and strategic upgrades to stay dependable. 

Contract crew installing new water line on Milam Road as part of the Hospital Area Supply Line Improvements

That need is especially important in a system with infrastructure dating back decades. Some LCWSC waterlines were installed in the 1970s and 1980s, and since the late 1990s the Commission has worked to replace these older lines with larger, more resilient ductile iron pipe (DIP). These larger DIP lines last longer, better support fire protection, and meet the growing residential and industrial demands of our County. All of which continue to strengthen service and community safety. 

“Reliable water and sewer service does not happen by accident,” said Jeff Field, Executive Director of LCWSC. “It takes daily maintenance, long-term planning, and a strong commitment to reinvesting in the system(s) our customers rely on. We fund this work through strong financial management and by leveraging our limited resources with grant funding so we can be responsible custodians of our customer’s dollars.” 

That commitment to pursue grant funding is producing results. So far, in this fiscal year alone, LCWSC has received more than $8.7 million in contributed capital grants to support water distribution, wastewater treatment, wastewater collections, and other system needs. Moving forward, additional grant funds, above and beyond this amount, are committed for planned capital improvement projects. 

All of this reflects a proactive approach to infrastructure stewardship. Strong utilities do not wait for failure they plan ahead, prioritize wisely, and make smart investments that protect service for the long term. LCWSC must continue meeting changing customer needs, supporting growth, and responding to evolving regulatory requirements with responsible, forward-looking investments in our people and our utility system. 

During Infrastructure Week, that work deserves recognition. Water and sewer systems are the foundation of public health, economic opportunity, fire protection, and quite honestly – daily life. LCWSC is committed to protecting that foundation through careful planning, continued investment, and service that keeps Laurens County strong. 

Cover image: Construction is nearing completion on the new 1-million-gallon elevated water tank at the Hospital