One of the highest-ranking leaders in the two-state area just released the updated state water and plan. The purpose is the long-term protection of water resources to keep the dollars flowing for decades to come. A former Augusta Mayor also reflected on similar issues from more than 20 years ago.
SC Governor Henry McMaster was flanked by South Carolina Department of Environmental Services (SCDES) Director Myra Reece and Rob Devlin, SCDES Assistant Chief of the Bureau of Water. They were joined by Rep. Bill Hixon (R-District 83 encompassing parts of Aiken and Edgefield counties), who serves as the Co-Chair of the Surface Water Study Committee.
During a news conference releasing the plan, McMaster said it is vital to plan for the future to address the state’s growing population and economic development, while protecting the water resources.
“This updated State Water Plan provides a clear, long-term strategy for maintaining reliable water supplies over the next 50 years. I am confident in the work SCDES and WaterSC have done to ensure South Carolina is prepared to meet the demands of today and tomorrow,” said McMaster.”
Reese said, with that growth, comes one unavoidable truth. Water resources will be tested as never before.
“It’s critical that we protect and sustain our water resources, for our families, our environment, our farmers, our businesses, and our energy needs, not just today, but for our water future,” she said. “By establishing WaterSC, Governor McMaster prioritizes balancing the state’s economic, environmental, and community needs in updating South Carolina’s water plan.”
McMaster said the state currently uses about 5.9 billion gallons of water every day. The 181-page report examines current usage and projects how that will grow, and in what areas of the state. It examines both surface water and groundwater availability.
Included in the plan are provisions for interbasin water transfers, moving water from one section of the state to another, or those crossing state lines. He referred to a 2006 lawsuit South Carolina had to file against North Carolina.
Metro Augusta fought a similar battle in the early 2000s. Habersham County, Ga., had filed a request with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to withdraw millions of gallons of water from the Savannah River. The concern was that the water would be transferred to the Chattahoochee basin, that includes Lake Sidney Lanier.
Led by then-Augusta Mayor Bob Young and then-North Augusta City Administrator Charles Martin, a campaign was launched to oppose the request. Residents, businesses, and municipalities across the CSRA joined the campaign to keep Savannah River water in the local basin.
“We were saying at the time, taking Savannah River water to pump it into the Chattahoochee basin to make Atlanta bigger and better would deplete the resources in the Savannah River Basin,” Young told ABD. “So perhaps Augusta could not have the opportunity to be bigger and better. If you need more water in another basin to support some activity, maybe that activity ought to move to the basin where there’s a surplus of water. Let’s move the economic development around, not move the resources around.”
Hundreds of letters opposing the request were sent to the Corps of Engineers, prompting Habersham County to ask for the petition to be tabled.
The new plan for South Carolina is the outgrowth of the December 2024 creation of WaterSC within SCDES to work with stakeholders, including farming and agriculture, energy, tourism, and public drinking water resources, to create a plan within a year.
In addition to addressing population and economic development growth, the plan looks at water usage by sectors and includes a response for potential droughts over the next 50 years.
The full report is available at www.des.sc.gov/WaterSC.
