Hydrology Section

About Us

The South Carolina Water Resources Planning and Coordination Act established the South Carolina Water Resources Commission in 1967. The Commission was initially formed as a coordinating body for state agencies and institutions that had water-related interests. It was charged with overseeing water resources planning and formulating a comprehensive water resources policy for the State. During its existence, the Commission produced numerous technical and scientific reports related to both the surface water and groundwater resources of the State, including the benchmark report South Carolina State Water Assessment, which was published in 1983. The Commission also established numerous regulatory programs, most notably the Groundwater Use Act of 1969, the Water Use Reporting and Coordination Act of 1982, and the Interbasin Transfer Act of 1985. In 1994, during State government restructuring, the Commission was disbanded, and many of its regulatory programs were transferred to the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control. The water planning and water policy responsibilities were assigned to the Hydrology Section of the Land, Water and Conservation Division of the newly created South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR).

In 1998, the Hydrology Section published the first edition of the South Carolina Water Plan, and a second edition of the plan was released in 2004, incorporating experience gained from the severe drought that the State underwent during 1998–2002. In 2009, the second edition of the South Carolina State Water Assessment was published.

Staff of the Hydrology Section oversee programs aimed at collecting and disseminating hydrologic data, monitoring and assessing the availability of surface and groundwater, and modeling these resources. The Section is concerned with maintaining a balance among water-supply development, economic growth, and protection of the environment.

Currently, the Section consists of eight hydrologists and is headquartered in Columbia with offices in Charleston and Clemson.

Staff