Clemson is ​Helping Ensure ​South ​Carolina'​s Water ​Resources

Drop by drop, Clemson is helping ensure the state’s vital natural resource — water.

Water is a driving force behind virtually every facet of life in South Carolina — from agriculture, recreation and tourism to essential needs like food and drink. But water is both among the Palmetto State’s greatest assets and biggest challenges.

Clemson PSA has multiple statewide programs that address water quality in forested wetlands and efficient use of water for agriculture. Clemson scientists work collaboratively across research disciplines, database and web platforms and inter-university colleges on crop irrigation systems, forested watershed management, water quality issues, water treatment and data analysis of the state’s water resources.
Image Credit: Clemson University Relations

A December 2016 study by Clemson University professors found natural resource-based sectors contribute $33.4 billion in economic activity annually to the state’s economy. Of the six sectors analyzed, four of them — fishing, hunting and wildlife viewing ($2.7 billion); coastal tourism ($9 billion); commercial fisheries ($42 million); and the boat industry ($1 billion) — rely intrinsically on the state’s water to keep them afloat.

A precipitous rise in extreme weather events — droughts in 2015 that caused 35 counties to be declared primary natural disaster areas followed a month later by floods that caused over $375 million in economic losses to the agribusiness industry — threatens to diminish the state’s capacity to provide water to homes, power plants and recreation.

“Do we have the tools, do we have the information to make decisions, small and large, in the face of weather extremes we have recently witnessed?” said Calvin Sawyer, associate professor in Clemson’s Department of Agricultural Sciences and Clemson Extension water resources specialist. “In December, it was snowing here in South Carolina while on the other side of the country it was burning. What Clemson is trying to do is develop those tools and equip the citizens, policymakers and growers with information they can use to adapt to a changing climate.

Clemson Public Service and Agriculture stands uniquely poised to secure and shape the future of this vital natural resource in the state.

Farmers on the front line

Among the voices calling for further understanding of South Carolina’s water resources are the state’s farmers.

For the farmers, who saw a dry heat wave in summer 2017 followed by a record cold spell in January, extreme weather events like these further muddy the water picture.

John Long, owner of Overbridge Farm in Newberry, said water and its availability make all the difference for the state’s farmers between a successful year and an unsuccessful one.

“I get the feeling over the years that we’re getting less rainfall at the critical times when we need it,” he said. “And when we do get the rainfall, it’s really more than we need. I don’t know if that’s just my feeling or if there actually is some science to that, so anything that Clemson could do to help us understand that better would be very helpful on the farm.”

At Titan Farms in Saluda County, the largest peach grower on the East Coast, chief executive officer Chalmers Carr sees a mounting dilemma as the state seeks to balance water demand among residents, industries and those who produce its food.

“Water is going to be the next big crisis in agriculture … and we have to find that balance,” Carr said. “But the only way to do that is through sound science. Clemson has the technology that can be used to figure out the best way to move forward while still producing the freshest, safest food supply in the world at the cheapest prices for everybody who lives here and enjoys it.”

Water as science

Having a sound science-based report that can support the decision-making process for agencies such as the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) and Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) is key to helping balance water demand.

As the state’s primary land-grant institution — with a clear mission of teaching, research and outreach — Clemson has a plan in place to do just that.

As part of that plan, the University is proposing a new Water Resource Research, Management and Technology program as well as a statewide Water Resources Center (WRC), which would establish a base for comprehensive water programs and create a Southeastern regional hub for conducting analytical water-related research.

The program’s goal would be to provide South Carolina greater “resiliency in the face of the unknown,” said Jeff Allen, director of Clemson’s South Carolina Water Resources Center.

Read full article: Clemson University

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Taxonomy

• Agriculture
• Resource Management
• Water Resources
• Water Supply
• Water Management
• Consumption
• Water Quality Management
• Water Resource Management
• Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM)