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Whereas, the citizens of South Carolina were promised clean water pursuant to the Federal Clean Water Act of 1972, which is implemented by the SC Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC), and Whereas, the S.C. Water Classification and Standards Regulations 61-68 state, “….. the Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) shall have the authority to abate, control and prevent pollution”, and Whereas, clean water is essential to the health of South Carolinians, water dependent recreation, a strong economy, sustainable fisheries and the for consumers of fish from state waters, and
Whereas, DHEC has failed to successfully implement this Act, resulting in the contamination of South Carolina’s lakes, streams and rivers, and Whereas, Discharges of raw or partially treated sewage, toxic metals and other pollutants into the environment and our waterways can pose a significant health risk, and Whereas DHEC has not implemented a satisfactory method to inform, educate and alert the public regarding the pollution in our waters, the sources and extent of this pollution, and the subsequent risks involved, and Whereas, DHEC has failed to develop successful methodologies to improve water quality to the standards established by the Clean Water Act, and Whereas, many on-site waste disposal systems (septic tanks) throughout the state are not functioning at optimum levels and need to be replaced or improved and maintained and new systems should be designed to higher standards. Therefore be it resolved, by the S.C. Chapter of the Sierra Club at it Executive Committee Meeting held on October 24, 2009 that efforts be made to persuade or require DHEC to implement measures designed to improve and clean up the waters of our state, implement an aggressive program to stop unpermitted discharges, implement a program of further posting of fish consumption advisories and polluted waterways to inform the public of the health hazards from pollution in the water, provide for enhanced notification of the public of sewage spills and unpermitted discharges to our waterways, and Be it further resolved, that efforts be made to persuade or require DHEC to begin a scientific program to determine if the source of fecal pollution is animal waste or human waste through Bacteria Source Tracking (BST), to help direct where action and remediation needs to be taken, and that efforts be made to persuade or require DHEC to revise their periodic Watershed Water Quality Assessment reports to clearly indicate by map where waters are polluted, what kind of pollution it is, and what the risks are. Information should be centrally located and user friendly, and DHEC should create publications that are accessible to the average citizen, readily available the web. This resolution was submitted to the Chapter Executive Committee and passed unanimously. This gives the Chapter a mandate to work on the issue on a Chapter level. |
Water Quality 
