Coastal Environmental Quality Program

Coastal environmental quality deals with water quality, air quality, plastics pollution, contaminants, and other environmental issues that can affect the health of South Carolina’s residents and visitors.

The S.C. Sea Grant Consortium works closely with state natural resource managers, community groups, scientists, universities, and decision-makers to improve our coastal environmental quality by providing them with science-based information and tools.

This program focuses on helping communities enhance and conserve the coastal environment through proper stormwater management, improving water quality, and preventing harmful algal blooms.

Regional Stormwater Pond Information and Programming

A team of partners from various organizations in South Carolina’s coastal areas collaborate on programming efforts yearly, including the Healthy Pond Series and Stormwater Pond Conferences.

The Southeastern U.S. Contaminants of Emerging Concern Program

Contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) are chemicals or substances that may not have regulatory standards, are not included in routine monitoring programs, and could have adverse toxicological effects. The Southeastern U.S. CEC Program was established to facilitate interdisciplinary research on these chemicals.

Water Chats Training Program

Water Chats was created to respond to the need to deliver timely water quality information to managers across South Carolina.

From Blue-Gray to Blue-Green

This project aims to reduce coastal plastic debris by promoting the use of and researching natural materials that can replace plastic use in the growing sectors of coastal aquaculture, restoration, and water quality protection.

Trawl to Trash

This program was developed to upcycle discarded trawl nets into trash collection bags. These bags are created by local commercial shrimpers to earn extra money during their off-season.