The 2025 South Carolina State Water Plan is a comprehensive, data-driven report developed to ensure the long-term protection of the state’s water resources.
As South Carolina experiences record-breaking economic and population growth, demand for water use increases across multiple sectors, including farming and agriculture, public drinking water, energy, industry, tourism, forestry, conservation, academia and more. To make sure water resources are managed in the best interest of all South Carolinians, Gov. Henry McMaster proactively established WaterSC in September 2024 to unite key stakeholders on sustainable water use.
The 2025 State Water Plan, which was developed by the S.C. Department of Environmental Services, captures input from WaterSC participants, the state’s River Basin Councils, and other key stakeholders from across the state. The plan provides for the protection of water availability for all water users for the next 50 years, until the year 2070.
Key takeaways and concepts of the plan are summarized in Our Water Future: The Leadership Guide to South Carolina’s Water Plan.
This is the third version of the South Carolina State Plan. The previous two versions, developed in 1998 and updated in 2004, were written by the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (DNR), which was responsible for water planning activities prior to the establishment of SCDES in 2024.
The state’s eight River Basin Councils contributed data, technical analysis, and modeling to support the 2025 plan. Additionally, considerable input was received during the public comment period for the draft water plan, all of which was reviewed by water plan development staff.
