Coastal Zone Consistency Frequently Asked Questions
S.C. Department of Environmental Services Wins 2025 Notable State Documents Award for State Water Plan
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 11, 2026 COLUMBIA, S.C. — The S.C. Department of Environmental Services (SCDES) is the recipient of a 2025 Notable State Documents Award from the South Carolina State Library for the 2025 South Carolina State Water Plan, published Dec. 11, 2025. The award recognizes outstanding state government publications that demonstrate excellence in content, research and public…, Our Water Future: The Leadership Guide to South Carolina’s Water Plan, are available at des.sc.gov/WaterSC. The S.C. State Library’s Notable State Documents Awards Program began in 1991 as a way to recognize exemplary state publications. A complete list of the 2025 winners is available on the State Library’s website at statelibrary.sc.gov. , ###,ReadyOP Alert System
What is ReadyOP?, The Dam Safety Program has contracted with ReadyOp Communications Inc to implement the ReadyOP emergency notification tool. ReadyOP allows the Dam Safety Program to quickly alert the owners, operators, and designated emergency contacts of state-regulated dams. These messages may be issued to the owners, operators, and designated emergency contacts of all regulated dams statewide or targeted to…, When is ReadyOP used and how often will I get alerts?, ReadyOP alerts are issued when the Dam Safety Program has identified a potential or imminent threat to state-regulated dams. Threats include intense rainfall events, flooding, earthquakes, or extreme winds capable of toppling trees on a dam. The Dam Safety Program has been using systems like ReadyOP to send emergency alerts to dam owners, operators, and their designated emergency contacts since…, How to change your ReadyOP contact preferences or update your contact information, If you are an owner or operator of a state-regulated dam and would like to update your information or preferences for ReadyOp, identify or update a representative contact and their preferences, and/or provide other contact details for your dam, please contact DESresponse@des.sc.gov . Dam owners, operators, or representatives may also submit new ReadyOp user entries at https://sc.readyop.com/…, Notification Limitations, Emergency ReadyOP dam alerts are intended to notify regulated dam owners, operators, and a limited number of owner-representatives authorized to act on a dam owner's behalf in the event of an emergency. If a dam's owner is an entity containing many individuals (ie a homeowner's association), only a few primary points of contact can be entered into the alert system and receive notifications. Those…Proper Disposal/Donation of X-Ray Equipment in South Carolina
Step 1: Confirm Equipment Status Before disposal, you must:, Determine if the equipment still produces radiation (i.e., functional X-ray tube or Generator)., An X-ray machine must be plugged into an electrical source in order to produce radiation. Once you unplug an X-ray machine, there's no residual radiation., Determine if the equipment contains radioactive components., Cobalt 60 is a radioisotope used in radiography and medical applications. Cobalt 60 rods must be professionally removed. Once that's done, many parts of the machine can be recycled., Ensure the equipment does not contain hazardous oils, such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)., X-ray machines made before July 1979 may contain a toxic substance called polychlorinated biphenyls or PCBs, in the transformer oil. If your machine has PCBs in it, you will need to contact a waste removal specialist to handle removal of this substance. (It's also your responsibility to test the machine for PCBs before you transfer ownership.), Determine if the equipment contains hazardous metals., Older equipment may contain hazardous metals. Before taking a machine out of service you need to be aware of what's in the machine and what needs to be done to dispose of it properly. If your machine contains a hazardous waste metal regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, you will have from 90-180 days from the decommissioning date - the day you take the machine out of service - to…, Disable the machine., To disable an X-ray machine, you'll need to remove the head, being careful not to break the X-ray tube. The tube is under vacuum and if broken, could splinter and cause injuries. If the unit is still operational or contains any radioactive source, you must handle it as regulated material. Step 2: Disposal of Equipment There are different ways to get rid of an X-ray unit. Please note, options must…, Service Vendor Collection, : Arrange for a registered X-ray Vendor to handle the disposal., Salvage, : Salvage parts from the equipment if applicable., Landfill Disposal, : If a waste disposal company will accept it, you can get rid of the whole machine at once., Donation, : Donate to organizations like Partners in Health and Project Cure , which accept high-quality, functional X-ray equipment in good condition., Sell or Transfer, : Transfer a working machine to an individual or institution that is legally able to use X-ray machines. Your X-ray vendor may know of companies that purchase used equipment., Recycle, : You can donate it to a company that recycles usable machines., Sell for Scrap, : If other methods are not feasible, consider selling the parts for scrap. Step 3: Notify the Radiation Protection Program Facilities must report to the Department, within thirty (30) days, any changes of status affecting any X-ray machine or facility as required by RHB 2.6 Report of Change. *Equipment changes should be reported on SCDES Form D-0819 “Registration and/or Deletion of X-ray…Homeowner Information
What you "can" and "can't do" in public waters, The best way to prevent problems in public or private water bodies is with prevention. Don't put any nonnative plants, fish, pets or other organisms into any waterbody. Check boat trailers, boat hulls and propellers. Rinse and remove aquatic plants or invertebrate hitchhikers such as snails. Don't dump aquarium contents in lakes, channels or other water bodies. Replace invasive and other non-…, What you can do:, Identify your plants using the Illegal Aquatic Plants of SC booklet distributed by SCDNR. You can use mechanical devices such as weed rakes or cutters. You can cover the bottom with weed mats. You can manually pull up problematic vegetation. You can hire a mechanical harvester. E-mail the SCDES Aquatic Nuisance Species Program for information about aquatic weed problems in public waters:…, What you can't do:, Never dispose of or plant invasive species in any waterbody. (Laws prohibit the transport or spreading of certain species of plants!) Never stock grass carp into a public waterbody. (It's against the law, you could be fined!) Don't remove grass carp from a public waterbody. (It's against the law, you could be fined!) Never apply herbicides to a public waterbody. (It's against the law, you…, Links:, Clemson Home and Garden Information Center HGIC 1706 Water Gardening in Containers HGIC 1707 Aquatic Garden Pond & Pool Construction HGIC 1708 Algae Problems in Water Gardens HGIC 1709 Aquatic Plant Selection HGIC 1710 Fertilizing Recreational Fish Ponds HGIC 1711 Liming Recreational Ponds HGIC 1712 Stocking & Harvesting Recreational Fish Ponds HGIC 1713 Use of Rotenone for Management of…ANS TASK Force
Successful management of non-native aquatic invasive species is one of the most pressing issues in the field of natural resources management in the country. Impacts include both dramatic changes in plant and animal community structure and dynamics and economic impacts to manage use of our water resources. The S.C. Department of Natural Resources recently completed a three-year Aquatic Nuisance…SCDES Local Offices
Why Manage Invasive Species
Management decisions based on science have made plant management against invasive species now an essential function of government. Refusal by plant managers to allow hydrilla or other invasives to become the dominant aquatic plant in the state is not just for the benefit of homeowners and industry, but also for the benefit of our native aquatic plants and other native animals, for the benefit of…, What are invasive (nuisance) aquatic plants and why are they a problem?, Invasive non-native aquatic plants are those which have the potential to hinder the growth of beneficial aquatic plants, to interfere with flood control, irrigation or navigation, or to adversely affect the public welfare or the natural resources of this state. Some of the more common invasive aquatic plants in South Carolina include hydrilla, water hyacinth, giant salvinia, water primrose,…, What is being done?, Nuisance aquatic plant populations are being managed using an integrated management approach to prevent them from reaching problematic levels. Integrated management utilizes biological, chemical and manual control techniques to maintain control of various nuisance and invasive species. At the same time efforts are made to minimize negative impacts on native vegetation. In certain instances,…, We've learned that management:, Reduces the environmental impact of noxious weed species; Allows greater use of our waters; Uses less herbicide; Greatly reduces the overall costs; Creates greater biodiversity; and Promotes public confidence and cooperation., Wildlife, waterfowl and fish need aquatic plants:, Misconceptions have developed over the years, based on erroneous information, as to what types of aquatic plants are beneficial to all wildlife. A prime example of this is the information that is spread about ducks. For thousands of years, ducks and other migratory water birds have come through South Carolina as temperatures drop in the northern United States and Canada. They fed on eelgrass (, Vallisneria, ), pondweeds (, Potamogeton, ), duck potatoes (, Sagittaria, ) and other plentiful, native, aquatic plants. Then, in the 1970s non-native hydrilla (, Hydrilla verticillata, ) was introduced and invaded several of South Carolina’s lakes and rivers, quickly displacing and greatly reducing the abundance of eelgrass, pondweeds, duck potatoes and other plant duck foods. During that period of time, with hydrilla on the increase and ducks having to consume hydrilla instead of preferred native plants, confusion has developed among duck hunters and others about the value of…, Among the native aquatic plants that are especially important to wildlife, fish, ducks and other water birds in South Carolina are:, the submersed plants of these genera: Ceratophyllum, Chara, Najas, Potamogeton, Ruppia, Utricularia, and Vallisneria; the tallish emersed plants of these genera: Carex, Cladium, Cyperus, Distichlis, Echinochloa, Eleocharis, Eriocaulon, Fimbrystilis, Juncus, Leersia, Panicum, Paspalum, Polygonum, Pontederia, Rhynchospora, Sacciolepis, Scirpus, Spartina, Typha, Xyris, Zizaniopsis, and Zizania; and…, The bottom line, Native plants are just as able to provide the same beneficial functions as do the invaders, and native plants have provided these benefits for eons before the invaders came. For example, eel grass, pondweeds, bladderwort, the submersed sagittarias and others are some native plants that provide underwater plant surface area for fish food (those periphyton and small animals that attach to plant…Environmental Assistance Conference
Sources Exempt from Air Quality Construction Permits
No construction permits shall be required for the sources listed in Regulation 61-62.1, Section II (B)(1)(a) through (c) (pdf) which burn virgin fuel and which were constructed prior to February 11, 1971 and which are not located at a facility that meets the definition of a major source as defined in Regulation 61-62.70.2(r) (pdf) ; however, modifications at these facilities may trigger the…