A Preliminary Assessment of the Groundwater Conditions in Aiken, Allendale, Bamberg, Barnwell, Calhoun, Lexington, and Orangeburg Counties, South Carolina

Abstract

The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control has reviewed reports on local groundwater conditions by the SCDNR and USGS in conjunction with reported groundwater withdrawal data for the counties of this region. This review indicates that water level declines in the aquifer systems of concern have been influenced by an increase in population, public water supply use and agricultural activities using groundwater and a series of long-standing droughts that have reduced recharge to the aquifer systems. Aiken County along with Allendale, Bamberg, Barnwell, Calhoun, Lexington, and Orangeburg counties have developed and utilized groundwater to the degree that coordination and regulation of groundwater supplies may be needed.