Surface water models are used to simulate surface water conditions and to assess current and future surface water availability.
Overview
Effective water planning and management requires an accurate assessment of the State’s surface water resources. To that end, the SCDES supported the development of surface-water quantity models that simulate the surface water system for seven of the eight major river basins in South Carolina.The modeling platform is the Simplified Water Allocation Model (SWAM), developed by CDM Smith, Inc (the Catawba-Wateree basin relies on other modeling platforms developed to support the work of the Catawba Wateree Water Management Group). These models are used to evaluate current and future water availability and supported the development of State and regional water plans. Though the models were originally completed in 2017, the models were periodically updated as needed as River Basin Plans were being developed in each planning basin. Use the links below to access modeling reports and other documentation for each basin’s SWAM model and to learn more about how the SWAM models were developed.