Released July 8, 2008

CLEMSON, S.C. — Clemson University was recognized as a Center of Excellence for Watershed Management by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Tuesday. This is only the third such center to be designated in the Southeast and the first center in the nation that focuses on using remotely sensed monitoring data, enabling scientists to collect and analyze information through this type of data network.

One of the major projects being developed by the Clemson center is the cyber infrastructure-based digital watershed.

“Having real-time data to monitor environmental characteristics — water quality, storm-water runoff, even tree growth — from any Internet access point can improve watershed management,” said Eidson. “This system of remote sensors will provide real-time information to the public, scientists and professional environmental managers. The system will provide hands-on practical information to help promote objective, science-based discussions about economic growth and the environment. For South Carolina to prosper, both economics and ecology must be considered together and ultimately shift the paradigm of river management.”

The university awarded a $1.5 million grant to the Center for Watershed Excellence to develop the cyber platform and four demonstration projects. These projects include real-time monitoring of 215 miles of the Savannah River watershed, a low-impact development project in Georgetown County that is part of the Program of Integrated Study for Coastal Environmental Sustainability, a small watershed project at Lake Issaqueena in the Clemson Forest in Pickens County. Another is a segment of the Saluda River Watershed in Greenville County that is part of the Changing Land Use and the Environment program. The cyber-infrastructure network will be in place and online by October 2008. The platform will host regional projects, watershed group projects and other resources.

In addition to the digital watershed program, the center is working with the City of Aiken, S.C., and Hitchcock Woods Foundation to formulate an ecological restoration master plan for the Sand River. This plan will describe the existing ecological conditions and prioritize individual restoration and remediation projects for the area.

Another project is the Pickens County Strategic Water Supply Plan. This project brings together all water-supply groups in Pickens County to formulate a 20-year plan to address population growth and water needs.

To become a recognized Center of Excellence, the institution must demonstrate technical expertise in identifying and addressing watershed needs; involve students, staff and faculty in watershed research; have the capability to involve the full suite of disciplines needed for all aspects of watershed management; be able to become financially self-sustaining; deliver and account for results; be willing to partner with other institutions; and receive support from the highest levels of the organization.

For decades, the EPA protected the nation’s lakes, rivers and wetlands by regulating specific points of pollution; the most common of these being sewage treatment plants and factories. Although this approach led to the successful cleanup of many waterways, others still remain polluted from sources not as easily regulated, such as more subtle sources include farms, streets, parking lots, lawns, rooftops and other surfaces that come in contact with rainwater. Today, the EPA takes a broader approach to water protection, looking at both the individual waterway and the watershed in which it is located.

Started in 2007, the EPA Region 4 Centers of Excellence for Watershed Management Program works with colleges and universities from across the Southeast to provide hands-on, practical products and services for communities to identify watershed problems and solve them. Each EPA-designated center actively seeks out watershed-based stakeholder groups and local governments that need cost-effective tools for watershed scientific studies, engineering designs and computer mapping, as well as assistance with legal issues, project management, public education and planning.

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http://www.clemson.edu/newsroom/articles/2008/july/Watershed_Center.php5

Contacts: Gene Eidson, (864) 656-2618, geidson@clemson.edu

Peter Kent, (864) 650-7899, pkent@clemson.edu