SCDES eNews

Fall 2024 | {View as Webpage}

WaterSC Hosts First Meeting with Statewide Collaborators

Representatives from multiple state agencies and stakeholder groups joined Gov. Henry McMaster for the first meeting of the WaterSC Water Resources Working Group on Wednesday, Oct. 30. WaterSC is a newly launched initiative bringing together a variety of collaborators from across the state to guide planning for South Carolina’s water resources. It's led by SCDES and is chaired by Interim Director Myra Reece.

Gov. McMaster established WaterSC on Sept. 24, 2024, through Executive Order 2024-22 . This significant effort comes as our state continues its unprecedented growth, looks towards our future water needs and commits to continued environmental protection. The complete list of WaterSC participants is available on the WaterSC website, des.sc.gov/WaterSC .

“Thanks to the work that the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources has already performed over the past several decades, we have an incredible foundation of science and data that WaterSC will utilize,” said Myra Reece, SCDES Interim Director. “We know more about water today in this state than ever before, which is why the timing of the establishment of WaterSC couldn’t be better.”

Public engagement is an essential part of WaterSC. Residents are asked to be an active participant in WaterSC by watching meetings, reading the WaterSC Stakeholder Engagement Plan and providing comments to the WaterSC Resource Working Group by emailing WaterSC@des.sc.gov or using the online form .

SCDES Participates in Coastal Carolina University’s Career Fair

SCDES team members with the Bureau of Regional and Laboratory Services (BRLS) recently participated in a career fair at Coastal Carolina University.

While recruiting mostly for seasonal positions such as interns and public swimming pool inspectors, the team also provided information about full-time positions.

“This year, the majority of students that approached us were Sustainability majors,” said Pete Badagliacca, BRLS Environmental Health Manager. “This seems to be an up-and-coming field of study. Sustainability is one of the agency’s core values, and the sign drew them in like a magnet.”

Thank you to the following Environmental Health Managers from our Myrtle Beach office for representing SCDES at this event:

Amanda George
Jenae Padavano
Pete Badagliacca

The team plans to participate in another Coastal Carolina University career fair in March.

SCDES Hosts Initial EJ Strong PREP Meeting with Partners

SCDES recently welcomed community partners to the first Environmental Justice (EJ) Strong Practicing Risk Reduction Education through Partnership (PREP) meeting, which is a new EJ partnership building off the agency's previous and ongoing initiatives .

EJ Strong PREP aims to better prepare communities for potential environmental impacts, such as natural disasters, and to empower residents to take part in local decision-making about environmental topics that could impact their daily lives. The EPA recently awarded $1 million in grant funding to the agency’s EJ program to expand its successful efforts.

SCDES and its EJ partners will use the EPA grant funding to support additional opportunities to educate under-served communities about the principles of Community-Managed Disaster Risk Reduction. Partners that SCDES works closely with on its EJ trainings include:

the Lowcountry Alliance for Model Communities;
Clemson University: College of Behavioral, Social and Health Sciences;
College of Charleston: Center for Coastal Environmental & Human Health; and
the University of South Carolina: Arnold School of Public Health.

Learn more by visiting our Environmental Justice webpage.

Agency Participates in TeamSC County Days

SCDES employees recently joined representatives from other state agencies, FEMA and nonprofit organizations for several TeamSC County Days. Hosted by the Governor’s Office and the South Carolina Department of Administration, these events provided a one-stop opportunity for people impacted by Hurricane Helene to learn about relief resources and other post-storm information.

“Every storm is a little different,” said Fran Marshall, SCDES's Director of the Office of Environmental Public Health. “For this particular storm, our focus was on communicating with citizens who have private wells for their source of drinking water. We were able to help well owners understand that unless flood waters entered their well, they didn't need to test for bacteria."

SCDES provided free well test kits as well as information on best practices for managing drinking water wells. Staff with SCDES's Bureau of Land and Waste Management also were on hand to answer questions about debris disposal to provide resources about mold remediation following a storm.

Four Team SC County Days have been held so far with two more scheduled. Learn more by visiting the South Carolina Emergency Management Division’s webpage .

Director Myra Reece and Rhonda Thompson Speak at CAPCA Conference

Myra Reece, SCDES Interim Director, and Rhonda Thompson, Bureau of Air Quality Chief, recently spoke at the Carolinas Air Pollution Control Association (CAPCA) conference. They provided updates about the agency’s air quality program and other initiatives aimed at protecting our state’s air.

Rhonda currently serves as president of CAPCA, which is comprised of about 600 members in North and South Carolina who represent air pollution control agencies, regulated industries, equipment manufacturers and more. Technical sessions that were part of the conference helped educate attendees about air permitting processes, compliance, environmental auditing, air monitoring technologies and more. To learn more about CAPCA, visit its website.

Midlands-Aiken Team Participates in Science Education Fall Festival

The SCDES Midlands-Aiken office had a blast at USC Aiken's 39th Annual Science Education Enrichment Day (SEED) on Oct. 26.

With more than 2,800 attendees, our employees connected with families through interactive exhibits on environmental science. SCDES had three booths that featured:

Radioactive Hide & Seek: families learned about Geiger Counters and radiation detection.
Aquatic Invertebrates: we showcased live species, taught about water quality, and hosted a matching game on aquatic habitats.
South Carolina Rocks & Minerals: visitors got hands-on with local rocks and learned about mining.

Thanks to all who visited; our team is already looking forward to next year!

Where Passion Meets Preservation

As the state agency that protects and preserves South Carolina's environment, SCDES seeks talented individuals to join our team. We are scientists, engineers and inspectors as well as collaborators, educators, and public servants who work to ensure all South Carolinians have a healthy environment.

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