2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 49 - Waters, Water Resources and Drainage › Chapter 4 - South Carolina Surface Water Withdrawal, Permitting Use, And Reporting Act › Section 49-4-150. Amount of withdrawal dependent on definition of minimum instream flow; public water suppliers; determination of amount of water available.

(A)(1)(a) For new surface water withdrawers located on a stream segment not influenced by a licensed or otherwise flow controlled impoundment, the surface water withdrawal permit authorizes withdrawals up to the permitted amount pursuant to this chapter's definition of minimum instream flow subject to the provisions contained in subsection (A)(1)(b).
(b) Anytime the flow at the point of the permitted withdrawal is less than or equal to the minimum instream flow and taking into consideration natural and artificial replenishment of the surface water and existing or planned consumptive and nonconsumptive uses affected by the withdrawal downstream, the permitted surface water withdrawer must implement applicable portions of his water contingency plan and will discontinue consumptive use from the surface water source. If after all reasonable contingency plans have been implemented, and the surface water withdrawer is within fifteen days of exhausting the usable water supply from his supplemental water source, he may then give notice to the department that he is exhausting his supplemental water sources and that he intends to return to the withdrawal source in amounts up to his permitted amount. Upon receiving notice, the department must determine whether all or any portion of the withdrawal will result in a significant negative impact to an existing user or the environment if the permitted withdrawals are resumed. If the department does not make its determination within ten days of receipt of notice, the permittee may make withdrawals up to the permitted amount until the department notifies the permittee whether all or any portion of the withdrawal will result in a significant negative impact to an existing user or the environment during this low flow period.
(2)(a) The permitted surface water withdrawer may withdraw water from the permitted surface withdrawal point in order to refill his supplemental water source, or other drought contingency water supply vessels, anytime the river flow exceeds the minimum instream flow.
(b) The permitted surface water withdrawer utilizing a drought contingency pond as all or some of his supplemental water source may withdraw the entire volume of water from the pond during low flow periods requiring supplemental water source usage. Water withdrawn from drought contingency ponds are not subject to environmental and permitting restrictions.
(c) New surface water withdrawers are not required to engineer the supplemental water source identified in their contingency plan any larger than the quantity that allows for facility operations during twenty percent mean annual daily flow conditions, based upon a review of historical low flow data and projected facility consumptive water uses during low flow periods. A new surface water withdrawer may not return to the withdrawal source when his supplemental water source is exhausted unless he engineered his supplemental water source to meet the specifications of this subsection.
(3) For surface water withdrawal points located on a surface water segment downstream of and influenced by a licensed or otherwise flow controlled impoundment, the minimum instream flow shall be the flow specified in the license by the appropriate governmental agency. Surface water withdrawal points downstream of a licensed or otherwise flow controlled impoundment are considered to be influenced by the impoundment unless it can be demonstrated by the department through flow modeling and analysis of flow data that the withdrawal point is no longer materially influenced by the impoundment. The minimum instream flow set in this item does not apply to withdrawal points located downstream of an impoundment that are beyond the influence of the impoundment.
(4) When a surface water withdrawal point is located on a licensed or otherwise flow controlled impoundment, a withdrawal permit may not authorize the withdrawal of surface water in an amount that would cause a reservoir:
(a) water level to drop below its minimum water level; or
(b) to be unable to release the lowest minimum flow specified in the license for that impoundment as issued by the appropriate government agency.
(5) When a surface water withdrawal point is located on an impoundment that serves as a water supply for a federally licensed facility that is also an existing surface water withdrawer, a withdrawal permit may not authorize any new surface water withdrawer to withdraw surface water in an amount that would negatively impact the continued operations of the federally licensed facility. The requirements contained in this item do not apply to an expansion or addition of units at a federally licensed facility.
(6) The requirements of items (1) through (4) do not apply to public water suppliers. Public water suppliers are required to implement their contingency plan measures, applicable to their service territory, commensurate with the drought level declared by the State Drought Response Committee and in accordance with any drought response plan required by the owner of a licensed impoundment.
(B) When determining the amount of water available to be withdrawn for future surface water withdrawers in a particular stream segment, the department shall determine the inflow at the beginning of the stream segment, as well as the inflow from tributaries, based on historical flow. Also, the department shall account for returns of water to the stream segment from all sources, including, but not limited to, municipalities, utilities, and industries.
HISTORY: 2010 Act No. 247, Section 1, eff January 1, 2011.
Editor's Note
2010 Act No. 247, Section 4.B, provides:
"Chapter 1, Title 49 of the 1976 Code is not affected by and supersedes Chapter 4, Title 49 of the 1976 Code, as amended by SECTION 1 of this act."