Woodruff is one of the older towns in the county: a crossroads with a post office by 1825, incorporated in 1874, and a boom town once the railroad arrived in 1885. The Woodruff Cotton Mill opened around 1901 and the W.S. Gray Cotton Mill in 1907, and both added mill houses near downtown. About 4,200 people lived here in 2020.
Water and sewer come from two different places. The Woodruff-Roebuck Water District supplies water from its own treatment plant near the confluence of the North and South Tyger rivers in Roebuck. The City of Woodruff runs the sewer, with more than 34 miles of collection pipe, and bills for it separately.
The City of Woodruff permits its own construction work. Its building department takes permit applications online or at City Hall on East Hayne Street, and inspection requests can be made online too. Contractors working inside the city also need a city business license.
Woodruff is a straight run down I-26 or US 221 from Spartanburg, and Gas Guys answers around the clock. Whether it is a burst pipe under a mill house or a gas smell in a newer subdivision, a person picks up the phone at any hour.
Woodruff at a glance
- Natural gas
- Piedmont Natural Gas. Piedmont Natural Gas serves the Woodruff area, but Greer CPW's territory reaches nearby Crescent and rural homes use propane, so check your bill.
- Water
- Woodruff-Roebuck Water District
- Sewer
- City of Woodruff
- Permits
- City of Woodruff Building Department
- Housing
- Early 1900s mill houses near downtown from the Woodruff and W.S. Gray mills, plus mid-century homes and newer subdivisions.
Plumbing and gas in Woodruff: what to know
Mill houses and mixed pipe
Mill houses from the early 1900s were built simply, with plumbing added or upgraded over the decades. Expect a mix of galvanized, copper and plastic supply line and cast iron drains, often on a crawlspace. Rusty water, low pressure at one fixture and slow drains are the common complaints.
City sewer, private laterals
The City of Woodruff maintains its sewer mains, but the line from your house to the city tap is yours. In older neighborhoods those laterals can be clay or cast iron, and roots find the joints. If a backup returns after the line has been cleared, a camera inspection is the next step.
Water and sewer on separate bills
Water is billed monthly by the Woodruff-Roebuck Water District and sewer every two months by the city. For a leak at or before the water meter, call WRWD. For a problem in the public sewer main, call the city. Anything in between is private plumbing.
Gas supplier at the edges
Toward the edges of the area, especially north toward Crescent where Greer CPW's territory ends, the gas supplier can differ from in town, and farther out it is propane. The house piping works the same either way: sized for the load, pressure-tested, and leak-checked at every connection.
Mid-century houses at sixty
Woodruff gained residents after the Jeffery Manufacturing plant opened in 1962, and houses from that era are now around sixty years old. The original water heaters are long gone, but original drain lines, supply valves and gas piping may not be. Shutoff valves that have not been turned in decades often fail to close fully when you need them.