Groundwater Drought Monitoring Network

Groundwater data is used for drought monitoring purposes.

Overview

SCDES maintains a drought monitoring network of approximately ten wells across the State equipped with real-time monitoring equipment. These wells, along with additional wells monitored by the USGS, are used for drought monitoring purposes and are used as a drought indicator by the State Drought Response Committee in determining drought declarations. A map showing the current drought status of wells in the Drought Monitoring Network is shown on the right.

Coastal Plain Water Well Database

The Groundwater Program has information on more than 14,000 water wells located in the Coastal Plain counties of South Carolina.

Overview

One of the key functions of the SCDES Hydrology Section is to gain a better understanding of the occurrence and availability of groundwater in South Carolina, and perhaps the best source of information about groundwater hydrology is water wells. To that end, SCDES and its predecessor, the South Carolina Water Resources Commission, has been collecting information on water wells since 1969, when the Commission was established.