ROCK HILL, SOUTH CAROLINA – More than two years ago, Rick Lee ’82 of Rock Hill paid close attention to the droughts occurring in California and wondered if the same could happen in South Carolina.
It was then that he realized that the region didn’t know much about its water resources.
Fast forward to today and several York County municipalities and other entities have received an award for doing something no other S.C. group has done. These stakeholders assembled a Watershed Evaluation Team (WET) in 2022 to better understand and manage York County’s water resources. Through their cooperative efforts to apply for grants, the group developed watershed plans in eastern York County that can be used to implement improvements for protecting water quality.
A watershed is the area of land that drains to a particular lake, river or other waterbody; in York County’s case, it is the Catawba River. “That’s our primary source of water for consumption and to support our economy,” said Lee, who chaired the WET group and is a member of the Winthrop University Board of Trustees.
The WET working group came from multiple jurisdictions in York County: city of York, York County, city of Rock Hill, Catawba Regional Council of Governments, Catawba Indian Nation, city of Fort Mill and the city of Tega Cay.
The group’s work is still ongoing, but they’ve received kudos from state leaders.
On Jan. 24, Lt. Governor Pamela Evette and Myra Reece, interim director of the S.C. Department of Environmental Services (SCDES), recognized the WET group. Members are the first to be recognized with SCDES’s Power of Partnerships award, which celebrates those who demonstrate extraordinary partnership and collaboration in protecting and preserving South Carolina's environment.
“The Watershed Evaluation Team is a perfect example of what can be accomplished through collaboration, and we couldn’t think of a better initiative to receive the agency’s first Power of Partnerships award,” said Reece. “WET created partnerships through several local governments and jurisdictions to allow for a concerted effort in protecting water quality throughout York County.”
So far, the group has studied 211,000 acres and are in the process of pinpointing water quality, stormwater, pollution and other conditions which may affect the region’s drinking water. WET stakeholders have applied for and received several grants that supported the development of watershed plans for the Big Dutchman Creek and Tools Fork watersheds. Plans for the Burgis Creek and Sixmile Creek watersheds, as well as the Fishing Creek Headwaters, Upper Fishing Creek, Middle Fishing Creek, Tinkers Creek and Little Allison Creek watersheds, are in the works or will soon be developed.
“This is a forward-looking initiative,” Lee said. “These watershed studies will be used in planning for growth in the area, as they provide us with a better understanding of our watersheds and how development can potentially impact them. These watershed plans allow us to take informed actions to mitigate those potential impacts before they could affect nearby communities.”
The studies make all of the jurisdictions eligible for federal funds to correct future problems, thus saving local taxpayers a lot of money. “Kudos to the governments who saw the value in this and in working together,” Lee said. “Everyone on the team cooperated … and did what was needed for success. My thanks to the various staffs and elected officials who conducted and supported this unique forward-looking project.”
As these watershed plans are completed, WET and local stakeholders are pursuing funding opportunities to implement the solutions identified through the watershed planning process.
One group applied for grants to fix septic tank failures by digging them up and replacing them, Lee said. Other areas see storm water and population issues caused by residential development and are looking for funding to help alleviate problems. “The watershed plan is an insurance policy on future projects,” Lee said.
For more information, contact Judy Longshaw, news and media services manager, at longshawj@winthrop.edu.
