COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina legislators have introduced two bills aimed at informing anglers and river enthusiasts across the state.
The proposed measures, House Bill 4985 and Senate Bill 999, would mandate any entity with a wastewater discharge permit to prominently display signs at outfalls, where treated water is released into rivers or lakes.
Congaree Riverkeeper Bill Stangler tells News19 it would help keep the public informed
“You know where that pipe is and you can make a decision, Hey is that where I want my kids to swim, is this where I want my dog to drink water, is this where I want to catch a fish and keep it and bring it home?’,” said Stangler.
The sign would say the name of the facility responsible for the discharge, the permit number, and an emergency contact number.
"If you see a problem at one of those wastewater outfalls, you can contact someone and report it so we can get those problems fixed faster and easier," said Stangler.
However, the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce has voiced opposition to the bills, arguing that they would impose unnecessary bureaucratic requirements on businesses and public utilities without effectively addressing pollution prevention.
The Chamber provided this statement to News19:
"This legislation would unnecessarily mandate that over 1,200 duly permitted and regulated businesses and public utilities jump through even more bureaucratic hoops to physically post information that's already available online while doing nothing to actually prevent pollution or protect our state’s invaluable waterways. As always, the Chamber stands ready to work with the General Assembly and other stakeholders to protect and preserve our state’s environment in thoughtful and substantive ways, but that simply isn’t what these bills do.
Additionally, we believe that the posting of these signs would cause unnecessary public confusion and hysteria, and an implied presumption that companies with these types of permits are not operating in an environmentally safe manner, which is not the case since all this information is already available to the public and the companies are required to submit monthly Discharge Monitoring Reports to DHEC about their discharges."
Stangler said the website isn’t always accessible.
“It may not be the best tool if you’re in a kayak floating down the river. And you see something and you have a question about it,” said Stangler.
Supporters of the bills, including Representative Heather Bauer, who said her constituents fish in Gills Creek, expressed frustration over the pushback.
“It shouldn't be about, like Big Bad industry versus the environmental community. And it sad that it's been taken that route,” said Bauer. “It is something I would be very interested in continuing to push for.”
If the bills do not pass this legislative session, they will be reintroduced in the following year.
Several other states, including Tennessee, have enacted similar laws