As a "public service authority," Santee Cooper's mission is to serve the people of South Carolina. As the population of the Lowcountry increases, so does the demand for water. As more and more water is pumped out of area wells, the water table will continue to drop because aquifers do not have the ability to quickly renew their water supply. The treatment of surface water is a feasible solution to this scenario.
The Santee Cooper Regional Water System was the first regional approach to water distribution in the Lowcountry. The system has the capacity to draw 36 million gallons of water per day and shows the 15,000 square mile watershed (second largest east of the Mississippi) that funnels water into 225 square miles of the Santee Cooper Lakes. The system serves four Lowcountry entities which form the Lake Moultrie Water Agency.
The Lake Moultrie Water Agency is a "joint municipal water agency" comprised of the Berkeley County Water and Sanitation Authority, the City of Goose Creek, Moncks Corner Public Works Commission and Summerville Commissioners of Public Works. The four agencies buy and pay for all the capacity of the water system and sell the capacity to agency members. Santee Cooper owns the system's treatment plant, pump stations and offices near Lake Moultrie's Lions Beach. Santee Cooper also owns the 26 miles of transmission pipeline and a 1,000,000 gallon elevated tank.
The water system has two 48-inch pipelines that extend one-half mile out into Lake Moultrie. The pipelines are submerged in water that is roughly 40 feet deep to provide for optimum withdrawal. There are screens at the end of the pipelines to prevent large materials from coming into the pipes.
The water is pumped into the treatment plant where it is purified and filtered. The treatment insures the safety of the water. But even before it is treated, the water from Lake Moultrie is known for being extremely clean.
One reason the water is of such high quality is because Santee Cooper has been managing Lakes Marion and Moultrie since their existence. Some water treatment plants draw water from sources they cannot control. If chemicals or other substances were released into those bodies of water, it's possible they would not be detected until the water reached the treatment plant. Santee Cooper continuously monitors the water source, and can therefore assure its quality.
The water system is not a threat to the lakes' other resource, the fish population. The pipeline intakes are designed so that even at maximum flow, small fish will be able to swim out of the current. Lake levels are not a concern either. On an average day, the water system takes less than one-fifth of one percent of the water that flows through the lakes. It's basically equivalent to evaporation from the lake on a windy summer day.
Although the plant is presently rated at 24 mgd, it can be easily upgraded to 36 mgd.
So, should the need arise for more clean water in the Lowcountry, the Santee Cooper Regional Water System is prepared.