United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of Water
Regulations and Standards
Washington, DC 20460
EPA 440/5-88-076
September 1988
&EPA
Water
State Water Quality
Standards Summary:
South Carolina
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DISCLAIMER
This publication was prepared by Battelle under contract to
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (Contract 68-03-3534).
Secondary information sources were used to compile data presented
in this document. Each State was given an opportunity to review
and provide comments on a draft of this information document. In
no event shall either the United States or Battelle have any
responsibility or liability for any use, misuse, or reliance upon
the information contained herein, nor does either warrant or
otherwise represent in any way the accuracy, adequacy, efficacy,
or applicability of the contents hereof.
The reader should consult the water quality standards of a
particular State for exact regulatory language applicable to that
State. Copies of State water quality standards may be obtained
frcrr the State's Water Pollution Control Agency or its
'•:.•..:: -/a lent.
Additional information may also be obtained from the:
Standards Branch
Criteria and Standards Division (WH-585)
Office of Water Regulations and Standards
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Washington, D.C. 20460
202-475-7315
This document may be obtained only from the National Technical
Information Service (NTIS) at the following address:
National Technical Information Service
5285 Front Royal Road
Springfield, Virginia 22161
703-487-4650
The NTIS order number is: PB89-142087
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SOUTH CAROLINA
Responsible Agencys
Dept. of Health and Environmental Control
2600 Bull Street
Coluibia
29201
Standards Available From
Sally Knowles
Dept. of Health i Environmental Control
2600 Bull Street
State Contact:
Sally KnoHles
Environ. Qual. Hgr.
Dept. of Health t Environmental Control
2600 Bull Street
Coluibia 29201
State Contact:
803-734-5227
Coluibia
803-734-5227
Fee:
29201
no
Railing List: yes
State Narrative Language For: Antidegradation
1. Existing water uses and the level of water quality necessary to protect these existing uses shall be
•aintained and protected regardless of the Mater classification.
2. Where surface water quality exceeds levels necessary to support propagation of fish, shellfish, and wild-
life, and recreation in and on the Hater, that quality shall be maintained and protected unless the Department
finds, after intergovernmental coordination and public participation, that allowing lower water quality is ,
necessary to important economic or social development. In allowing such lower water quality, water quality
adequate to fully protect existing uses shall be maintained. The highest statutory and regulatory require-
ments for all new and existing point sources shall be achieved and all cost-effective and reasonable best
management practices for nonpoint source control shall be encouraged.
3. The water quality of Class AA and Class SAA surface waters shall be maintained and protected in as natural
a condition as feasible, within the Department's statutory authority.
4. During certain tites of the year, the quality of some free flowing surface waters (including lakes) does
not seet nuneric standards for dissolved oxygen or pH due to natural conditions, even though classified uses
in these waters are achieved. During these tines, the quality shall be neither cumulatively lowered more than
0.10 sg/1 for dissolved oxygen nor cumulatively raised or lowered more than 0.10 standard units for pH from
ispacts by point sources and other activities, unless a site-specific standard is established.
State Narrative Language For: Toxics
All ground waters and surface waters of the State shall at all times, regardless of flow, be free from toxic
substances attributable to sewage, industrial waste, or other waste in concentrations or coibinations which
interfere with classified water uses (except within mixing zones as described in D.(5) of the South Carolina
Hater Quality Standards), existing water uses or which are harmful to human, animal, plant or aquatic life.
State Narrative Language For: Free From
fill ground waters and surface waters of the State shall at all times, regardless of flow, be free from:
A. Sewage, industrial waste, or other waste that will settle to form sludge deposits that are unsightly,
putrescent, or odorous to such degree as to create a nuisance or interfere with classified water uses or
existing water uses;
E. Floating debris, oil, grease, scua, and other floating material attributable to sewage, industrial waste,
or other waste in amounts sufficient to be unsightly to such a degree as to create a nuisance or interfere
with classified water uses or existing water uses;
C. Sewage, industrial, or other waste which produce taste or odor or change the existing color or physical,
cheaical, or biological conditions in the receiving waters or aquifers to such a degree as to create a
nuisance or interfere with .classified uses or existing water uses; and,
D. High temperature, toxic, corrosive, or deleterious substances attributable to sewage, industrial waste, or
other waste in concentrations or combinations which interfere with classified water uses, existing water uses,
or which are harmful to hucan, animal, plant or aquatic life.
SC-1
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SOUTH CAROLINA
State Narrative Language For: Low Flow
Interiittent streais and ephemeral streais shall be considered Haters of the state. The use classification
and nuieric standards of the class or the streai to which interiittent and epheieral streais are tributary
shall apply, disregarding any site-specific nuiberic standards for that tributary.
State Narrative Language For: Mixing Zones
A region or zone (called the fixing zone} in which one or lore specified water quality standards and classi-
fied uses are not applicable lay be allowed by the Department (South Carolina Department of Health and
Environmental Control). The size of the cixing zone shall be kept to a minimum and lay be determined on an
individual project basis considering biological, chemical, engineering, hydrological, and physical factors.
(a) Surface Haters: Nixing zones which are used for waste treatment effluents shall allow safe passage of
aquatic organisms, and shall allow the protection and propagation of a balanced indigenous population of
aquatic organisms in and on the water body. The mixing zone size shall be based upon critical flow
conditions. The mixing zone shall not be an area of waste treatment nor shall it interfere with or impair
existing recreational uses, existing drinking water supply uses, existing industrial or agriclutural uses, or,
existing or potential shellfish harvesting uses, [see Antidegradation (1)(A)].
SC-2
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SOUTH CAROLINA
Classifications:
Class AA FreshHaters which constitute an outstanding recreational or ecological resource
or those waters suitable as a source for drinking water supply purposes with
• treatment levels as specified by the Departient. Suitable also for uses listed
in Class A and Class B.
Class A-Trout Freshttaters suitable for supporting reproducing trout populations and a cold
water balanced indigenous aquatic couunity of fauna and flora. Suitable also
for uses listed in Class A and Class B.
Class A Fresh waters suitable for priiary contact recreation. Also suitable for uses
listed in Class 8.
Class B-Trout Freshwaters suitable for supporting reproducing trout populations and a cold
water balanced indigenous aquatic couunity of fauna and flora. Suitable also
for uses listed in Class B.
Class B Freshwaters suitable for secondary contact recreation and as a source for
drinking water supply after conventional treatment in accordance with
requireients of the Departient. Suitable for fishing and the survival and
propagation of a balanced indigenous aquatic conunity of fauna and flora.
Suitable also for industrial and agricultural uses.
Class SAA Tidal saltwaters which constitute an outstanding recreational or ecological
resource. Suitable also for uses listed in Class SA, Class SB, and Class SC.
Class SA Tidal saltwaters suitable for the harvesting of dais, missels, or oysters for
•arket purposes or huian consutption. Suitable also for uses listed in Class SB
and SC.
Class SB Tidal saltwaters suitable for priiary contact recreation. Suitable also for
uses listed in Class SC.
Class SC Tidal saltwaters suitable for secondary contact recreation, crabbing, and
fishing, except harvesting of dais, missels, or oysters for «rket purposes or
huian consumption. Also suitable for the survival and propagation of a
balanced larine fauna and flora.
Class 6A Those ground waters that are highly vulnerable to contamination because of the
hydrological characteristics of the areas under which they occur and that are
also characterized by either of the following two factors: 1) irreplaceable, in
that no reasonable alternative source of drinking water is available to
substantial populations; or 2) Ecologically vital, in that the aquifer provides
the base flow for a particularly sensitive ecological systet that, if polluted,
would destroy a unique habitat.
Class SB All ground waters of the State, unless classified otherwise, which ieet the
definition of underground sources of drinking water (USDN) as defined in
Section B.
Class 6C Those ground waters not considered potential sources of drinking water and of
United beneficial use. These ground waters also mist not ligrate to 6A or 6B
ground waters or have a discharge to surface water that could cause degradation.
SC-3
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SOUTH CAROLINA
Physical
PH
Upper Value
Loner Value
Dissolved Oxygen
Upper Value
Lexer Value
Teaperature
Upper Value
Teiperature Change
Upper Value
Turbidity
Upper Value
Nutrients
Toxic Metals
Pesticides
Organics
Bacteria
Fecal Col. (Max, Beo. Mean)
Upper Value
Secondary Upper Liiit
All
Classes
Class AA
Narr.
Narr.
Class A-Trout
Narr
Class A
8.0
6.0
ig/L
6 ig/L
Narr.
8.0
6.0
4
90
5
' ig/L
•g/L
F
F
Narr.
400
200
/100 iL
7100 iL
Narr.
SC-4
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SOUTH CAROLINA
Class B-Trout Class B Class SAft Class Sft
Narr. 8.5
6.5
Narr. §g/L
4 ig/L
Narr.
4 F
1.5 F
Turbidity : ' -
Upper Value Narr.
Nutrients ; .
Toxic Metals [
Pesticides
Organics •• ' ' .
i
Bacteria
Fecal Col. (Max, 6eo. Mean)
Upper Vaiue 2000 /iOO «L 2000 /100 iL 43 /100 »L
Seconder^ Upper Liiit 1000 7100 §L 1000 /IOO iL Narr. /IOO iL
Total Coliforn
Upper Value Narr.
Physical
pH
Upper Va
Lower Va
Dissolved Oxy
Upper Va
Lower Va
Tesperature
Upper Va
Tetperature C
Upper Va
Secondar
,ue 8.5
iue 6.0
!en
lue
:ue 6
:ue Narr
lange
.ue
' Upper Lifiit
8.5
i.O
ig/L ig/L
•g/L 4 ig/L
90 F
5 F
F
SC-5
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SOUTH CAROLINA
Class SB
Class SC
Class 6A
Class 68
Physical
pH
Upper Value
Latter Value
Dissolved Oxygen
Loner Value
Teiperature
Upper Value
Teiperature Change
Upper Value
Secondary Upper Liiit
Nutrients
Toxic totals
Pesticides
Organics
Bacteria
Fecal CoL (Max, Sea. Mean)
Upper Value
Secondary Upper Liiit
8.5
6.5
4 ig/L
Narr.
4
1.5
8.5
6.5
4 ig/L
Narr.
4
1.5
2000 7100 iL
1000 /100 iL
SC-6
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Physical
Nutrients
Toxic Metals
Pesticides
Organics
Bacteria
SOUTH CAROLINA
Class EC
SC-7
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