SCDES Accepting Applications for Projects that Improve Water Quality by Reducing Nonpoint Source Pollution 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 
July 3, 2025 

COLUMBIA, S.C. —The South Carolina Department of Environmental Services's (SCDES) Nonpoint Source Program aims to keep South Carolina waterbodies healthy by providing cost-share funding for projects that reduce nonpoint source pollution.  

Nonpoint source pollution occurs when rainfall or irrigation runs over land, picking up pollutants and carrying them to waterbodies. Unlike point source pollution, nonpoint source pollution is dispersed from multiple sources, making it difficult to identify and control the source of the problem. 

SCDES receives funding each year from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) through the Federal Clean Water Act Section 319(h) Grant to support implementation projects that help reduce or prevent nonpoint source pollution. 

These images show the positive impact of a streambank stabilization project completed by Save our Saluda, with cost-share funding from the Section 319 grant and the Natural Resources Conservation Service Environmental Quality Incentives Program. Comparing the before (left) and after (right) photos illustrates the success of an implementation project on Terry Creek in the North Saluda River watershed. 

Proposed grant projects should include the implementation of recommended best management practices (BMPs) from an approved watershed plan that will reduce or prevent nonpoint source pollution loading and will lead to measurable water quality improvements within the target watershed.  

Examples of eligible BMPs include repair of failing septic systems, streambank restoration, pasture and cropland management, stormwater management improvements, and conservation easements.  

Those eligible to apply for grant funding include public organizations such as state agencies, local governments, public universities, soil and water conservation districts, regional planning commissions, watershed organizations, and nonprofit organizations. For a project proposal to be considered, on-the-ground BMP implementation must make up at least 75% of the federal budget and a 40% non-federal cash or in-kind match is required.  

Project proposals are currently being accepted until 3 p.m. on August 22, 2025. 

To review the request for proposals and application requirements, visit our Section 319 webpage at des.sc.gov. Learn more about SCDES's Nonpoint Source Program at des.sc.gov/programs/bureau-water/watersheds-program and read project success stories on the EPA’s Nonpoint Source Projects Data Explorer. 

For more information, potential applicants can contact SCDES’s Nonpoint Source Coordinator, Shea McCarthy, at shea.mccarthy@des.sc.gov. 

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