SCDNR/SCDES issue statewide Drought Warning
The S.C. Drought Response Committee has upgraded the drought status statewide. Due to the intensifying drought, the committee requests that all water systems review their Drought Response Plans and Ordinances and implement as needed.
Based on the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) inventory, many of the water system plans and ordinances have not been updated in 20 years. The SCDNR worked with the S.C. Rural Water Association and several water systems around the state to develop a Drought Planning Guidebook that shares best practices and resources to help water systems update their plans and ordinances. You can access the guidebook at
http://scdrought.com/pdf/Drought Planning Guidebook.pdf .
Please send any ordinance or plan updates to drought@dnr.sc.gov. If you want a hard copy of the guidebook or are interested in attending a training session to help you update your plan, please email drought@dnr.sc.gov.
Please contact the S.C. Department of Environmental Services (SCDES) and SCDNR if you anticipate any water supply problems due to the drought.
Joe Koon, Director of the Water Resources, SCDES, joseph.koon@des.sc.gov, 803-898-421 O Hope Mizzell, S.C. State Climatologist, SCDNR, drought@dnr.sc.gov, 803-734-9568
The S.C. Drought Response Committee will meet again July 24 to reexamine drought conditions. Additional drought information and resources are available at scdrought.com.