During the Spring and Summer of 2020, the Surface Water Withdrawal Permitting program hosted a series of stakeholder meetings to assess the state of the safe yield calculation and explore the possibility of better methods to be used when determining safe yield for rivers and streams. The final summary report and Department conclusion of this stakeholder process is available below:
DHEC has been directed to develop regulations and guidance on Surface Water Quantity Withdrawals. After a 10 year review of the Surface Water Withdrawal, Permitting, Use and Reporting Act [49-4-10] and Regulation 61-119, DHEC issued a Notice of Drafting on August 27, 2021 and invited a diverse group of stakeholders to provide information and recommendations on these issues. The activities and recommendations of the surface water workgroup will be published to the public and reported to the legislature upon the end of the review.
SCDES has licensed operators assisting with technical issues related to private wells, small water systems, and community wastewater systems. Private wells, like septic systems, are the homeowner's responsibility. Septic tank information can be found here.
The Office of Rural Water partners with many statewide organizations and agencies along with other internal SCDES divisions to provide assistance to small and underserved communities. Below are some of the partnerships.
The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program is a federal resource that strives to build stronger and more resilient communities.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) suggest some projects include but are not limited to:
Locate by: Alphabetical Listing | Parameter of Concern
Sites Covered Under an Approved TMDL and Corresponding WQ Attainment Status
The Groundwater Protection Program is part of the Division of Monitoring, Assessment, and Protection in the Bureau of Water.
A product of the South Carolina Department of Environmental Services, the SC Watershed Atlas application is designed to provide information about SCDES Bureau of Water permits, monitoring, and assessment activities within your watershed.
Swimming in the ocean or one of South Carolina’s lakes and rivers is an excellent outdoor activity for the whole family. However, any outdoor activity has its own set of safety issues that we should all plan for and recognize.
