Green Creek is the rural eastern part of Polk County, running down to the South Carolina line above Campobello and Landrum. It is unincorporated farm and pasture country, with homes on large lots and addresses that often carry a Columbus or Tryon mailing address.
Polk County runs public water lines through parts of Green Creek. The county's Green Creek lines buy water from the Broad River Water Authority, and a trunk line through the area connects that authority with the Inman-Campobello Water District in South Carolina. Homes away from the county lines are on private wells, most homes are on septic, and gas appliances generally run on propane.
Permits come from Polk County Building Inspections in Columbus. Gas Guys is licensed in North Carolina (#L39015) and South Carolina, and serves Green Creek from its base in Spartanburg County, SC, just across the state line.
Green Creek at a glance
- Natural gas
- Mostly propane. Polk County is Enbridge Gas North Carolina territory, but the state map shows no service in the Green Creek area; most homes here run gas appliances on propane.
- Water
- Polk County water system along main roads; private wells elsewhere
- Sewer
- Mostly septic
- Permits
- Polk County Building Inspections
- Housing
- Farmhouses, horse and cattle farms, manufactured homes and newer houses on large lots.
Plumbing and gas in Green Creek: what to know
County water or a well
If your road has a county water line, problems at or before the meter belong to the county system, and the line from the meter to the house is yours. If you are on a well, the pump, pressure tank and switch set your pressure. A sudden pressure drop everywhere in the house usually starts on the well side.
Long lines to barns and outbuildings
Farm properties here often have long water lines to barns, shops and pasture hydrants. Those lines are private, so NC811 will not mark them, and a leak can run underground for months. A meter or well pump that runs when nothing is on is the first thing to check.
Propane and the house piping
Your propane company owns the tank and the first regulator. Everything from the second regulator to the appliances is house piping, sized and pressure tested under the NC Fuel Gas Code. A rotten egg smell around the tank or house is a reason to leave and call your supplier and 911 from outside.
Water heaters on well water
Well water often carries more sediment and minerals than treated town water, and it settles in the bottom of a tank water heater. That shows up as rumbling or popping when the burner runs, slower recovery and a shorter tank life. Flushing the tank once a year helps, and a tankless unit on a well needs regular descaling.