Photo: Reginald McDowell · CC BY 2.0Living in Nichols, SC: what to set up and who to call
Power in Nichols comes from Pee Dee Electric Coop, a cooperative utility rather than a private company. Public schools here are run by Marion School District 10.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Nichols, and who provides it. Tap an answer for the details and where they come from.
Power, water and internet
Who to call to start service at a new address in Nichols.
Power comes from Pee Dee Electric Coop
Pee Dee Electric Coop (Pee Dee Electric Coop, Inc), a cooperative utility, serves all of Nichols.
Start or move service: peedeeelectric.com · (866) 747-0060
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Gsw&sa (Sc2620004) water system
The Gsw&sa (Sc2620004) water system supplies Nichols: about 48% of residents live in its service area. About 52% of homes are outside any mapped community water system, most likely on private wells, which EPA doesn’t regulate. It draws surface water and serves 252,840 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 86% of the 84 systems serving 250,001–500,000 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2024–Dec 2026, was 0.5 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 0.6 ppb. That’s lower than 67% of similar systems’ latest results.
The system’s full record: EPA ECHO report
EPA SDWIS via Envirofacts (violations pulled Oct 9, 2026) and ECHO (lead samples, 2026Q3); service area: EPA Community Water System Service Area Boundaries v3.0. Violations are counted by the start of their compliance period. SC2620004.
4 home internet providers serve Nichols
98% of 253 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 97% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| HTC | Fiber | 98% | 2,000/2,000 |
| Spectrum | Cable, Fiber | 86% | 1,000/1,000 |
| AT&T | DSL, Fixed wireless | 3% | 25/3 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 74% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Nichols’ trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Nichols.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Nichols is in Marion School District 10.
Test scores and every school: see Schools →U.S. Department of Education, NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25. Enrollment rules and registration are the district’s.
Town hall and registering to vote
Who to call, and how to register.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Jan 2024; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
Nichols is in ZIP code 29581
ZIP codes where Nichols residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Nichols | ZIP’s residents in Nichols |
|---|---|---|---|
| 29581 | Nichols, SC | 100% | 6% |
Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas, by census block; post office names: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). ZIPs created since 2020 are missing.
Getting around, the ER and the library
One line each; the subject pages have the rest.
ER: CMS hospital data. Library: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024.
Questions about living in Nichols
Who supplies Nichols’ drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Gsw&sa (Sc2620004) water system (EPA ID SC2620004). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 86% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 0.5 ppb (Jan 2024–Dec 2026), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Nichols?
Pee Dee Electric Coop (Pee Dee Electric Coop, Inc), a cooperative utility.
What internet providers serve Nichols?
HTC, Spectrum, AT&T, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Nichols?
29581. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Nichols in?
Marion School District 10.
How do I register to vote in Nichols?
In South Carolina you can register online until 30 days before Election Day, in person until 30 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 30 days before). Elections here are run by the Marion Board of Voter Registration. Check your registration at vrems.scvotes.sc.gov.
Sources & dates
Every answer above names its source. Here they are with their dates.
- Water: EPA SDWIS (Envirofacts, pulled Oct 9, 2026), ECHO SDWA 2026Q3, EPA CWS Service Area Boundaries v3.0.
- Power: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map Aug 2023); EIA-861 final 2025.
- Trash: OpenStreetMap, Geofabrik extract of Oct 9, 2026. © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
- ZIP codes: Census 2020 ZCTA relationship files; GeoNames postal codes (CC BY 4.0).
- Schools: NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25.
- Registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025 (read Oct 10, 2026). Official sites and area codes: Wikidata.
- Election office: FVAP local election office directory (fetched Oct 10, 2026; each record dated), EAC EAVS 2024 jurisdictions; registration and lookup links from vote.gov’s state data, checked Oct 10, 2026.
- Internet: FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025.