South Carolina's rivers are to be the focal point of a June 18 meeting at the Edisto Research and Education Center, near Blackville, with particular emphasis on the Edisto River.
The gathering, promoted as a water availability stakeholder meeting, is set to run from 2 to 4 p.m., and the goal is to "present information on the model that is being used to assess how much surface water is in the Edisto River basin," said Katie Buckley, extension associate with the Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service.
Presented at the meeting will be a model created by engineering firm C.D.M. Smith. Offered, Buckley said, will be an evaluation of water coming into the system, who is using the water (based on permit information and voluntary information provided to the state agencies) and information on discharges into the river systems, all to be used for planning purposes.
She added, "The state has never done a comprehensive assessment of all eight major river basins, and how much water is available in those river basins."
The Edisto River's status gained attention earlier this year with help from the American Rivers advocacy group, which named the Edisto as the fifth-most endangered river in the United States. Its report noted, "Excessive agricultural water withdrawals are putting water supply, water quality, fish and wildlife habitat, and recreation at risk."
Heading the national list was the Colorado River. Following it, in order, were the Columbia, Holston, Smith and Edisto rivers.
Referring to next week's event, Buckley said, "While there's a lot of water-quality and water-quantity issues being discussed around the state and especially in the Edisto River basin, this is a meeting that's going to inform stakeholders of the state's actions to quantify surface-water availability, but it's not currently a planning process. It's an assessment process."
She said the meeting could be of interest to "all ... who are interested in surface-water availability and how the state is measuring surface-water availability."
The meeting site is at 64 Research Road, Blackville, off US 78. More details on the host site are at www.clemson.edu/public/rec/edisto, and information on the June 18 event is at www.clemson.edu/public/water-assessment.