SJWD, a special purpose district, was created in 1956 when the South Carolina General Assembly passed Act 1105. The legislation established the district’s boundary and provided the authority to sell bonds.
From its establishment almost six decades ago, the district has grown tremendously.
Today, the service area covers approximately 168 square miles in western Spartanburg County, stretching from Highway 417 in the south, to Highway 11 in the north, and from I-26 in the east to the Greenville County line in the west.
The Middle Tyger River (Lyman Lake) and North Tyger River (Lake Cooley and North Tyger Reservoir) remain the sources of water for SJWD customers. The water is treated at the SJWD Filtration Plant on Groce Road in Lyman. The facility treats roughly 2.2 billion gallons of water each year, or about 6.1 million gallons each day.
As of June 2019, the district served approximately 26,000 accounts, catering to roughly 50,300 people.