For SCDES, every day is Earth Day in South Carolina. Our dedicated team of environmental experts work to protect and preserve our air, land, water and coastal resources every day, for all South Carolinians, for generations to come. Through innovative approaches to environmental challenges, collaborative problem-solving, and a commitment to Science, Service and Sustainability, SCDES is proud to guide South Carolina toward smart growth, while protecting our state’s most precious resources.  

Here is a brief overview of how our five environmental bureaus support our healthy, resilient environment every day:

• Bureau of Air Quality (BAQ): protects the air we breathe by ensuring regulated industries comply with the state and federal laws and regulations that establish air quality standards. BAQ also implements strategies that help maintain the quality of South Carolina’s air and works with partners on air quality awareness efforts.   
   
• Bureau of Coastal Management (BCM): helps ensure the appropriate use, development and conservation of coastal resources in South Carolina. BCM oversees the direct permitting of activities that take place within the state's critical areas (coastal waters, tidelands, beaches and the beach/dune system) and uses regulatory management to preserve the state’s natural, historic and cultural coastal resources.
   
• Bureau of Land and Waste Management (BLWM): has critical oversight that protects our state’s land resources. BLWM regulates mining and solid waste-related activities, oversees the redevelopment of contaminated industrial sites (called “brownfields”), supports statewide recycling and food waste reduction goals, and helps ensure the proper handling of solid and hazardous waste.  
   
• Bureau of Regional and Laboratory Services (BRLS): protects our environment by responding to chemical spills and releases, permitting septic system installations, sampling and monitoring air and water, and investigating environmental concerns received from the public.
   
• Bureau of Water (BOW):  protects and preserves the state’s water resources for drinking, swimming, fishing and other uses that benefit South Carolinians. BOW develops and enforces state water quality standards, regulates drinking water providers, issues water quantity permits, implements groundwater protection programs, establishes private well regulations, and permits wastewater discharges from industrial and domestic sources. 
   

Did you know this about South Carolina?

State symbols:

• State bird: Carolina Wren
• State tree: Sabal Palmetto
• State wildflower: goldenrod
• State wild game bird: turkey
• State spider: Carolina Wolf Spider
• State shell: Lettered Olive
• State reptile: Loggerhead Turtle
• State marine mammal: Bottlenosed Dolphin
• State insect: Carolina Mantid
• State grass: Indian Grass
• State fruit: peach
• State flower: Yellow Jessamine
• State fish: striped bass (rockfish)
• State butterfly: Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
• State amphibian: Spotted Salamander

Coast

• South Carolina has 2,876 miles of tidal coastline and 187 miles of beachfront shoreline, 114 miles of which is open to the public.
• From May 1-Oct. 30, SCDES monitors ocean water quality at 122 locations along South Carolina's beaches, from Cherry Grove Beach near the South Carolina-North Carolina border to the southern end of Hilton Head Island. Data we collect are updated on our S.C. Beach Access Guide.
• SCDES promotes a Keep off the Dunes Program that encourages preservation of the state’s dune resources through a collaborative partnership to enhance public awareness of sensitive dune environments.

Air

• South Carolina currently meets or exceeds all national ambient air quality standards.
• SCDES's closely monitors South Carolina's air quality throughout the year through our Ambient Air Monitoring Network.
• From April-October, SCDES issues daily Ozone Forecasts so South Carolinians take precautions to prevent potential health impacts on days with expected increases in ozone concentrations.

Water

• South Carolina has 30,000 miles of rivers and streams that drain waters from the State's 20 million acres of land and eventually flow to the Atlantic Ocean. The Edisto River is the longest river system that flows entirely within the state of South Carolina.
• SCDES performs Ambient Surface Water Monitoring to help monitor water quality in rivers and lakes.

Land

• South Carolina has more than 90,000 acres of protected lands, including 47 state parks, 5 state forests, 10 national forests and one 1 national park.
• SCDES has important roles in protecting our land resources through regulatory oversight of landfills, mines, quarries and other types of industries. 

Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin is considered the “founder” of Earth Day. Nelson’s idea evolved over a seven-year period beginning in 1962 and resulted in the first Earth Day being held on April 22, 1970. The first Earth Day drew together more than 20 million Americans and became the largest grassroots demonstration in U.S. history. Participants took to the streets, lobbied Congress and began the modern environmental movement. Earth Day 1970 helped develop public support that led to the enactment of the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act as well as the creation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The rest is history.