BEECH ISLAND RURAL COMMUNITY WATER & SEWER DISTRICT

630 BEECH ISLAND AVENUE
BEECH ISLAND, SOUTH CAROLINA 29842
(803)827-1004

Important Notice Regarding Your Water Service Line Survey

Dear Beech Island Rural Community Water Residents,

We hope this message finds you well. As part of our ongoing commitment to maintaining the highest standards in water quality and safety, Beech Island Rural Community Water is partnering with 120Water to conduct a service line material identification survey. We are asking you to partner with us in identifying your service line type, and you’ll see lead as an option. We understand that the term ‘lead’ can raise concerns, and we want to take a moment to address any worries you may have.

The purpose of this survey is to identify the material type of water service lines in our
community. Per EPA requirements, all water systems must submit an inventory of their service lines, with service line types, to the state regulatory agencies by October 16, 2024. This information is crucial for us to ensure the safety and quality of your water supply.

Beech Island Rural Community Water is committed to providing safe and clean drinking water to every household. Our team adheres to stringent water quality regulations, and we continuously monitor and test the water supply to ensure it meets or exceeds all safety standards set by regulatory authorities.

Your participation in this survey is vital for us to accurately assess and address any potential concerns. By identifying the material type of service lines, we can take proactive steps to implement necessary measures to safeguard water quality for everyone in our community.

We understand that the term ‘lead’ can be worrisome. If you have concerns or questions about the survey or your water quality, our team is here to help. Feel free to reach out to us at Beech Island Rural Community Water District.

Our commitment to transparency means we will keep you informed throughout this process. Once the survey results are compiled, if a lead service line is identified, rest assured that Beech Island Rural Water will work closely with affected residents on remediation and replacement options. Our goal is to collaborate with you to find the best solution for your specific situation.

Thank you for your cooperation and understanding. Your active participation in this survey contributes to the well-being of our community. Together, we can continue to prioritize the safety and quality of our water.

Best Regards,
Beech Island Rural Community Water District

Public Notice: Important Update on Water Service Line Inventory Program

We want to keep you in the loop about an essential program happening in our community. Your local water utility is currently working on developing a Service Line Inventory in accordance with the EPA’s Lead and Copper Rule (LCR). We’re excited to share some key details with you, making sure you’re informed and assured about this initiative.

Why the Service Line Inventory?

The Service Line Inventory is a federal requirement aimed at enhancing the safety and reliability of our water infrastructure. It’s part of our commitment to ensuring the highest standards in water quality and compliance with national regulations.
It’s Not About Water Qualitv Issues:
We want to emphasize that this program has nothing to do with any suspected deficiencies in our water quality. We are committed to providing safe drinking water to our community. This is a proactive measure to ensure we have a comprehensive understanding of our water system.

It’s Funded!

Here’s the good news – we secured funding that allows us to carry out this Service Line Inventory without any impact on your utility bills. We believe in being fiscally responsible and leveraging opportunities to benefit our community, and this funding helps us do just that.

What to Expect:

Over the coming weeks, you may notice our teams conducting surveys and assessments around the neighborhood. This is simply part of the process to compile accurate information about our water service lines.

Your Cooperation Matters:

We appreciate your cooperation and understanding as we work towards completing this federally mandated program. Your involvement ensures the success of this initiative and contributes to the overall well-being of our community.

If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to reach out to our team. We’re here to address them and provide additional information as needed.

Thank you for being a valued part of our community!

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Drought status upgraded for all of South Carolina amid hot, dry start to summer

July 9, 2024

All of South Carolina has been upgraded to some level of drought as the effects of recent hot and dry conditions are being felt throughout the state.

The S.C. Drought Response Committee, during its meeting via conference call July 9, upgraded the drought designation for all 46 counties, which had previously been normal – or no drought. The committee upgraded 10 counties to incipient, 21 counties to moderate, and 15 counties to severe drought (see map).

Impacts to crops and livestock producers, rapidly declining streamflows and an elevated number of wildfires helped drive the decision.

The three-level increase for those 15 counties –- from no drought to severe — is unprecedented, State Climatologist Hope Mizzell said. The committee tries to avoid even a two-level increase, but for the counties that were upgraded to severe, there was strong support across multiple indicators.

“The weather hasn’t exactly followed the rules over the last month,” Mizzell said. “We experienced a wet winter, a relatively wet spring and then June hit: The rain stopped, and the thermostat soared.”

Since early June, many locations received less than 2.5 inches of rain (25 percent of normal), combined with temperatures ranking in the top 10 warmest on record in South Carolina for the month. There were multiple reports of 100-degree temperatures, with a maximum of 106 degrees at the University of South Carolina station on June 25. Not only were the daytime temperatures elevated, the night- time lows registered much higher than normal. There may have been less convergence of the indicators for the counties upgraded to incipient and moderate drought, but the flash drought is taking its toll statewide. There are “hot spots” of severe drought in counties statewide.

Joe Ghent, Lancaster Conservation District chair and drought committee member representing the Pee Dee, stressed the importance of upgrading the drought to severe based on information he received from farmers, agricultural entities and conservation districts across the area. He said most early planted corn has already been lost due to drought, corn planted later is stressed, soybean planting is delayed and cattle producers are feeding hay because summer grass production has stopped.

The U.S. Farm Service Agency in South Carolina confirmed the drought has severely impacted the corn crop, with many counties looking at greater than 50 percent yield loss. The lack of beneficial rain for the past several weeks has compounded the issue, leaving fields dry and unproductive, said Farm Programs Chief Linda Williams.

If many areas do not receive rainfall within the next few weeks, the 2024 cotton, soybean and peanut crops will also be negatively affected, she said.

Livestock producers are facing similar challenges. Due to deteriorating pasture conditions, , many have resorted to feeding hay as early as the end of June and are concerned about having enough hay to get through the winter months. Some producers have been selling overstock to reduce feeding cost.

Yvonne Kling, Aiken Soil and Water Conservation District chair and a drought committee member representing the western part of the state, pointed out that even though some areas are receiving heavy downpours, the excessive rainfall in a short period of time can also be damaging to producers.

Another factor in the committee’s decision to upgrade was the increase in wildfire activity.

From June 1-July 7, the S.C. Forestry Commission responded to more than 200 wildfires that burned more than 1,200 acres. These numbers represent fire occurrence 77 percent higher than the state’s 10-year average, and the acres burned was 214 percent above our 10-year average.

The high number of fires and much higher acreage burned in these fires is due to dry and hot conditions that have led to rapid evaporation of moisture in forest fuels and the soil.

“Fighting wildfires in high temperatures like we have experienced lately increases the stress on firefighters, and longtime drying of fuels has led to the need for additional resources on many fires that have continued to smolder for days or even weeks after ignition,” said Darryl Jones, forest protection chief with the Forestry Commission, “The Forestry Commission would like to remind everyone to be careful with any outdoor burning, and to postpone burning if you can until conditions improve.”

Scott Harder, from S.C. Department of Environmental Services (SCDES), discussed the sharp declines in statewide streamflow.

“The Little Pee Dee River and Black River are approaching critically low levels,” Harder said. “Without above normal rainfall in the coming weeks, streamflow conditions will continue to worsen as the summer continues. Reservoir levels have not yet been greatly impacted due to adequate winter and spring inflows, however, without above normal rainfall over next few months, more severe declines in reservoir levels are expected.”

Joe Koon, director of water resources with the Department of Environmental Services, reported that currently some systems have implemented proactive measures to alleviate and avoid supply issues. “SCDES will continue to communicate with drinking water systems on any supply issues that arise during these flash drought conditions,” Koon said.

Due to the intensifying drought, the committee requests that all water systems review their Drought Response Plans and ordinances and implement as needed.

The committee is closely monitoring conditions statewide and will reconvene on July 24 to reevaluate the drought status.

Media Contacts:

Hope Mizzell, S.C. Department of Natural Resources, MizzellH@dnr.sc.gov

Scott Harder, S.C. Department of Environmental Services, harders@des.sc.gov

Joe Koon, S.C. Department of Environmental Services, Koonjm@des.sc.gov

Sam Quinney, S.C. Department of Agriculture, squinney@scda.sc.gov
David Thachik, S.C. Emergency Management Division, dthachik@emd.sc.gov

South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, Rembert C. Dennis Building 1000 Assembly Street, Columbia, SC 29201