Sewer and Water Line Repair in Myrtle Beach, SC
Sewer and water line repair in Myrtle Beach: city utility rules, oceanfront condos, older homes and storms. Camera first.
- Camera inspection first
- Written, itemized quotes
- Licensed and insured
Photo: U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Louis L. Rivers, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Myrtle Beach Sewer Line Repair inspects, repairs and replaces sewer and water service lines at houses, condos and rentals across the City of Myrtle Beach. Inside city limits the city runs both systems, so a backup is reported to the city first; then we find the fault on camera and put the fix in a written, itemized quote. Repair methods and warning signs are covered on our main page for sewer line repair in Myrtle Beach.
Call (843) 429-6659 to book a camera inspection at your Myrtle Beach home, condo or rental.
Call nowWho runs water and sewer in Myrtle Beach?
The City of Myrtle Beach runs its own water and sewer system. It buys water from the Grand Strand Water and Sewer Authority (GSWSA), and city sewage is treated at GSWSA’s Myrtle Beach plant at the end of Mr. Joe White Avenue, permitted for 22.4 million gallons a day.
A Myrtle Beach mailing address does not always mean city service. GSWSA’s 2023 service-area map shows the city as its own zone, and the 29579 and 29588 ZIP areas reach into Carolina Forest and Socastee, where GSWSA runs the pipes. Annexed lots can differ from any map, so check whose name is on your water bill.
What happened with the October 2025 sewer break?
On October 10, 2025, the city found a break in an 8-inch sewer force main near 76th Avenue North and Briarwood Drive, WMBF News reported. First reported as a water main break, it was “caused by stump-pulling activities at a nearby construction site,” the city said.
The city notified SC DES and said, “We believe some spillage went into the stormwater system.” The lesson: digging breaks buried pipe. Call 811 before any dig, but SC811 marks only public utility lines, never your private sewer lateral or water line, so we find the lateral with our camera’s locator and trace the water line first. And treat water bubbling up in a yard or street as possible sewage: keep children and pets away and report it to the city.
Briarcliffe Acres and the city’s lines
The city’s system reaches past its limits. According to the Town of Briarcliffe Acres, the City of Myrtle Beach installs and maintains the town’s water lines. Since 2017, city-installed grinder stations and a sewer line have served an 11-parcel sewer district there, feeding a city trunk line and the Myrtle Beach plant GSWSA operates. Most Briarcliffe homes still use septic; see Briarcliffe Acres.
How old are Myrtle Beach homes?
The median home in the city was built in 1994, and 27.8% of its 24,419 housing units predate 1980, according to the Census Bureau’s 2020-2024 American Community Survey. Another 27.4% went up in 2010 or later, and the Bureau’s 2025 estimate puts the population at 40,937, up 14.7% since 2020. ZIP areas cross the city line but show how the housing shifts:
| ZIP area | Median year built | Built before 1980 | Also worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|
| 29577, central and south | 1995 | 24.6% | 8.9% built before 1960 |
| 29572, north end | 1988 | 24.1% | 62.6% in buildings of 5+ units; 45.5% seasonal |
| 29579, Carolina Forest and Market Common side | 2007 | 3.5% | newest of the three |
Pre-1980 homes are the likeliest to have vitrified clay, cast iron or Orangeburg fiber laterals; Orangeburg, commonly laid from the 1940s to the early 1970s, tends to flatten with age. Water lines of that era may be galvanized steel, which rusts from the inside. Newer homes usually have PVC, where the usual fault is a settled trench that leaves a belly.
Oceanfront condos and inland houses
Near the ocean, many homes are condos, like the 62.6% of north-end homes in buildings of five or more units. One building sewer usually serves every unit, so backups tend to surface in the lowest units first; start with the association or property manager. Farther inland, toward Carolina Forest, homes are newer and faults are more often settled trenches, offset joints and pipe nicked by fence posts or irrigation work.
The ground changes block by block. NRCS soil data for central Myrtle Beach shows Leon fine sand as the most extensive soil, poorly drained with water within about 6 inches of the surface at times, while Lakeland and Newhan dune sands drain fast with no water table within 2 meters. Wet sand lets groundwater seep into cracked joints and flood open trenches, and dry sand can cave in.
Oceanfront blocks also take the surge. NWS Wilmington records that Matthew’s surge destroyed most of Springmaid Pier in 2016 and that Ian pushed the water there to 10.77 feet above mean lower low water in 2022. Slow drains after a storm deserve a camera check for sand, silt and shifted joints.
Who is responsible for sewer and water lines on a Myrtle Beach lot?
We have not confirmed the city’s rule, so we will not guess. Call the number on your water bill and ask where the city’s part of the sewer service ends (main, property line or cleanout), who owns the water line past the meter, whether a property-line cleanout is required, and what a plumbing permit costs.
GSWSA’s standards point to a property-line split in its own areas, but the city sets its own rules. Our camera’s locator marks each defect’s position and depth on the ground, so you can show the city exactly where the trouble sits.
Sewer and water line services in Myrtle Beach
- Sewer line repair in Myrtle Beach: spot repairs and point liners for a cracked joint, roots or one bad section.
- Sewer line replacement in Myrtle Beach: new PVC or HDPE pipe, by pipe bursting or open trench, for collapsed, badly bellied or Orangeburg lines.
- Water line repair in Myrtle Beach: leaking or corroded service lines replaced with PEX or polyethylene.
- Sewer line cleaning in Myrtle Beach: cable machines and hydro jetting for roots, grease, sand and silt.
- Sewer backup help in Myrtle Beach: the first hour, step by step; active backups go first on our schedule.
Depth, length, method and what sits on top of the pipe set the price; our sewer line replacement cost guide explains each.
What happens when you call
- We ask whose name is on your water bill. If sewage is coming up, stop running water and call that utility first; skip chemical drain openers, and never mix two.
- Licensed plumbers with liability insurance run the camera from a cleanout and mark each defect and its depth on the ground.
- Your written, itemized quote lists the camera findings and video, method, length and depth, permit and inspection, SC811 locates, restoration of yard, driveway or sidewalk, any cleanout added, disposal and any utility fees.
- We request locates (utilities get three full working days to mark), pull the permit, do the work, book the inspection and restore the ground as quoted.
Other areas we serve
Nearby places we also cover:
Myrtle Beach sewer and water line FAQ
Who do I call first when sewage backs up in Myrtle Beach?
The utility on your water bill. For city customers we have not confirmed an after-hours sewer number, so use the one on your bill. GSWSA customers should call GSWSA before a plumber, at (843) 234-8460 or (843) 443-8200 after hours; its investigation is free.
Who fixes a water leak at the meter in Myrtle Beach?
Call the city first. The Town of Briarcliffe Acres lists the City of Myrtle Beach water repair line as 843-918-2000 and billing as 843-918-1212. Ownership past the meter is a question for the city.
Does the City of Myrtle Beach fix the sewer line between my house and the street?
Some of it may be the city’s, but where the city’s share stops is not something we have confirmed. Ask the city before work starts, and show it our camera video and locate marks.
Do I need a permit to replace a sewer line in Myrtle Beach?
Yes. South Carolina’s 2021 residential code counts replacing concealed pipe as new work, which needs a permit and an inspection; clearing a stoppage does not. We pull the permit and book the inspection.
Are older Myrtle Beach homes likely to have clay or Orangeburg sewer pipe?
Often. About 27.8% of the city’s homes were built before 1980, when clay, cast iron and Orangeburg were common. The camera shows what yours is.
Sewer or water line trouble?
Call for sewer or water line work anywhere in Myrtle Beach.
Camera inspection first, written and itemized quotes, and trenchless options where they fit.
Sewer and water line repair for Myrtle Beach, Conway and Horry County. Camera inspection first, written and itemized quotes, licensed plumbers.
Call (843) 429-6659