Professional Soil Classifiers
Contracting with SCDES to perform Site and Soil Evaluations , DES’s Onsite Wastewater Program is now allowing qualified contractors to perform soils evaluations for the issuance of Onsite Wastewater Permits to Construct. The contracting rate will be no more than three times the Department’s permitting fee per site. If you are interested in this program and you meet the qualifications spelled out in Regulation 61-56, Section 102.1 (2)(c), please submit your…, When do I need to contact a Professional Soil Classifier? , *If you hire a Professional Soil Classifier and you've already submitted an application to SCDES, please contact our customer service team at, 1-855-731-2504, or by email at, OSWWCentral@dhec.sc.gov, . , You must contact a Professional Soil Classifier if any of the following scenarios apply to you: Your lot has been evaluated by the Department and it will not pass for a conventional septic system. Your lot is located within a subdivision consisting of ten or more lots. To learn more about the permitting of subdivisions consisting of ten or more lots, visit our Permits, Licenses, and Reports page…, Where can I find a list of Professional Soil Classifiers (PSCs)?, The SC Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (SC LLR) licenses PSCs. A list of licensed PSCs can be found by visiting https://llr.sc.gov/soil/ ., Forms Used by Professional Soil Classifiers, Site and Soil Evaluation Form (D-1774) : This form should be used by PSCs when submitting soils work to the Department. Soil Report Verification Form (D-3269) : This form should be used by PSCs in addition to a Site and Soil Evaluation Form (D-1774) when submitting soils work to the Department for any system standard within Regulation 61-56, except for System Standard 610 – Specialized Onsite…Edisto Basin Planning
Draft Santee River Basin Plan
Give Thanks, Not Waste: Simple Ways to Reduce Food Waste This Thanksgiving
No holiday brings families together around food quite like Thanksgiving. From turkey and dressing to pies and casseroles, it’s a feast we look forward to all year. But with all that abundance comes something else:, a lot of waste, . In fact, food is the number one item Americans throw away each year — and the holiday season tends to be when we waste the most. That’s why SCDES is encouraging South Carolinians to take small, thoughtful steps to reduce food waste and support neighbors in need this Thanksgiving. Plan Ahead to Save Money — and Reduce Waste “One of the easiest and most effective things you can do to limit food…, know your head count, . Cooking for 10? Preparing for 25? Planning the right portions means less food left uneaten. Savannah also recommends keeping, reusable containers, on hand. “Bring containers so guests can take home leftovers,” she said. It’s a small step that helps reduce waste and sends everyone home happy. Smart Tips for a Less-Waste Thanksgiving Here are a few simple ways to make your holiday more sustainable:, ✔ Do a head count., The more accurate your guest list, the better you can plan for meals — and the fewer leftovers you’ll have to toss., ✔ Check your pantry first., Before buying more ingredients, look through what you already have in your pantry or freezer. You might be surprised by what you can use., ✔ Know your menu., Make a plan for each dish and shop with purpose. Avoid impulse buys and stick to what you truly need., ✔ Use reusable containers., Skip the plastic wrap and foil when storing leftovers. Reusable containers reduce waste and can even double as a small holiday gift for your guests., ✔ Compost what you can., When food can’t be reused or donated, composting is a great alternative. Composting improves soil health, supports native plants, and reduces the need for fertilizers. Visit des.sc.gov/composting for helpful composting tips. Donate What You Don’t Need While prepared leftovers can’t be donated to food banks,, unopened, non-perishable foods, can make a big difference for families experiencing food insecurity. “Donating extra food to a local pantry is one of the best ways to keep good food out of the trash,” Murray said. “There’s no bigger win for your community or the environment.” Find food donation locations and helpful guidelines at, des.sc.gov/dwfsc, ., Don’t Forget About Cooking Oil, Thanksgiving meals often mean lots of frying, roasting, and sautéing. But remember — never pour cooking fats, oils, or grease down the drain. They can cause serious plumbing problems in your home and your community. Instead, recycle used cooking oil. A list of local drop-off sites is available at, des.sc.gov/recycleheresc, .Air Monitoring for Hydrogen Sulfide
While there are no regulatory exposure limits outside of the workplace for hydrogen sulfide (H2S), there are exposure guidelines to which any monitoring data will be compared. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) has established an acute Minimal Risk Level (MRL) for H2S. A MRL is an estimate of the daily human exposure to a…, without appreciable risk of adverse health effects, over a specified duration of exposure.1 The Acute MRL for continuous exposure from 1 day to 14 days is 0.07 parts per million (ppm), which is equal to 70 parts per billion (ppb). The daily monitoring reports will show one day (24 hour) time-weighted averages in parts per billion (ppb). Part per billion (ppb) equivalents are shown on this page because other data related to this investigation has…, It is critical that the units of measurement between monitoring results and the exposure guidelines match, . For example, both should be in either parts per million (ppm) or parts per billion (ppb). It is easy to convert one to the other. 1 ppm = 1000 ppb, so to go from ppm to ppb, multiply by 1000; and to go from ppb to ppm, divide by 1000. It is important to understand units of measurement when looking at monitoring results. A part per billion (ppb) is the equivalent of a penny in a ten million…, Hydrogen Sulfide 2, Classification 10 min 30 min 1 hour 4 hour 8 hour AEGL-1 (Nondisabling) 0.75 ppm, 750 ppb, 0.60 ppm, 600 ppb, 0.51 ppm, 510 ppb, 0.36 ppm, 360 ppb, 0.33 ppm, 330 ppb, AEGL-2 (Disabling) 41 ppm, 41000 ppb, 32 ppm, 32000 ppb, 27 ppm, 27000 ppb, 20 ppm, 20000 ppb, 17 ppm, 17000 ppb, AEGL-3 76 ppm, 76000 ppb, 59 ppm, 59000 ppb, 50 ppm, 50000 ppb, 37 ppm, 37000 ppb, 31 ppm, 31000 ppb, 1ATSDR Toxicological Profile on Hydrogen Sulfide: https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/ToxProfiles/tp114-a.pdf 2AEGL for Hydrogen Sulfide: https://www.epa.gov/aegl/hydrogen-sulfide-results-aegl-programSCDES Issues Recreational Advisory for J. Strom Thurmond Lake in McCormick County
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Nov. 26, 2025 COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina Department of Environmental Services (SCDES) today issued a Recreational Advisory for a cove of J. Strom Thurmond Lake in McCormick County after identifying the presence of a harmful algal bloom (HAB). The cove is located off Yacht Club Drive in Plum Branch. SCDES was notified of a potential HAB by the U.S. Army Corps of…Equipment Not Covered in Regulations
Per RHB 1.6.3, prior to the sale and operation of x-ray producing equipment not specifically covered in the regulations, the seller shall submit the following information to the Department for review and approval: a) Manufacturer’s specifications for the equipment b) An analysis of exposure rates for the equipment c) Independent radiation safety studies of the equipment d) Training materials in…, XrayEquipmentReview@des.sc.gov, . The South Carolina Technical Advisory Radiation Control Council members may review the submitted information. Any company that will sell, install, and/or provide maintenance for x-ray systems must complete the vendor registration process and be issued a vendor registration approval prior to providing services. Equipment reviews are done in order of receipt and may be extensive. If you have…, 803-545-4400, .ePermitting Training
SCDES has developed training to help users with navigating the ePermitting system. , Because the move from the department’s previous database is complex, programs will not all move to ePermitting at the same time. As programs move forward with the shift, they will communicate with their impacted users about training, how to access the system, and what to look forward to as users begin to use the new system. If you have any questions, please, contact us, . , ePermitting is designed to work best using Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome on a personal computer. Users may also find that ePermitting works on tablets, but we do not recommend accessing it on a phone., Videos, All videos can be seen on our, YouTube ePermitting playlist, .Guidance Documents, Logs
Release Detection, Automatic Tank Gauging (pdf) Electronic Line Leak Detection (pdf) Groundwater Monitoring (pdf) Interstitial Monitoring (pdf) Line Tightness Testing (pdf) Manual Tank Gauging (pdf) Mechanical Line Leak Detector (pdf) Statistical Inventory Reconciliation (pdf) Suction Piping (pdf) Sump Sensor (pdf) Vapor Monitoring (pdf), Other, Underground Storage Tank Assessment Guidelines (pdf) Marina Guidance (pdf)DERA Photo Gallery & Announcements