2015 South Carolina Code of Laws
Title 48 - Environmental Protection and Conservation
CHAPTER 39 - COASTAL TIDELANDS AND WETLANDS
Section 48-39-10. Definitions.

As used in this chapter:

(A) "Applicant" means any person who files an application for a permit under the provisions of this chapter.

(B) "Coastal zone" means all coastal waters and submerged lands seaward to the State's jurisdictional limits and all lands and waters in the counties of the State which contain any one or more of the critical areas. These counties are Beaufort, Berkeley, Charleston, Colleton, Dorchester, Horry, Jasper and Georgetown.

(C) "Division" means the Coastal Division of the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control.

(D) "CDPS" means Coastal Division Permitting Staff.

(E) "Saline waters" means those waters which contain a measurable quantity of sea water, at least one part chloride ion per thousand.

(F) "Coastal waters" means the navigable waters of the United States subject to the ebb and flood of the tide and which are saline waters, shoreward to their mean high-water mark. Provided, however, that the department may designate boundaries which approximate the mean extent of saline waters until such time as the mean extent of saline waters can be determined scientifically.

(G) "Tidelands" means all areas which are at or below mean high tide and coastal wetlands, mudflats, and similar areas that are contiguous or adjacent to coastal waters and are an integral part of the estuarine systems involved. Coastal wetlands include marshes, mudflats, and shallows and means those areas periodically inundated by saline waters whether or not the saline waters reach the area naturally or through artificial water courses and those areas that are normally characterized by the prevalence of saline water vegetation capable of growth and reproduction. Provided, however, nothing in this definition shall apply to wetland areas that are not an integral part of an estuarine system. Further, until such time as the exact geographic extent of this definition can be scientifically determined, the department shall have the authority to designate its approximate geographic extent.

(H) "Beaches" means those lands subject to periodic inundation by tidal and wave action so that no nonlittoral vegetation is established.

(I) "Primary ocean front sand dunes" means those dunes which constitute the front row of dunes adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean.

(J) "Critical area" means any of the following:

(1) coastal waters;

(2) tidelands;

(3) beaches;

(4) beach/dune system which is the area from the mean high-water mark to the setback line as determined in Section 48-39-280.

(K) "Person" means any individual, organization, association, partnership, business trust, estate trust, corporation, public or municipal corporation, county, local government unit, public or private authority and shall include the State of South Carolina, its political subdivisions and all its departments, boards, bureaus or other agencies, unless specifically exempted by this chapter.

(L) "Estuarine sanctuary" means a research area designated as an estuarine sanctuary by the Secretary of Commerce.

(M) "Marine sanctuary" means any water and wetland areas designated as a marine sanctuary by the Secretary of Commerce.

(N) "Minor development activities" means the construction, maintenance, repair or alteration of any private piers or erosion control structure, the construction of which does not involve dredge activities.

(O) "Dredging" means the removal or displacement by any means of soil, sand, gravel, shells or other material, whether of intrinsic value or not, from any critical area.

(P) "Filling" means either the displacement of saline waters by the depositing into critical areas of soil, sand, gravel, shells or other material or the artificial alteration of water levels or water currents by physical structure, drainage ditches or otherwise.

(Q) "Submerged lands" means those river, creek and ocean bottoms lying below mean low-water mark.

(R) "Oil" means crude petroleum oil and all other hydrocarbons, regardless of specific gravity, that are produced in liquid form by ordinary production methods, but does not include liquid hydrocarbons that were originally in a gaseous phase in the reservoir.

(S) "Gas" means all natural gas and all other fluid hydrocarbons not hereinabove defined as oil, including condensate because it originally was in the gaseous phase in the reservoir.

(T) "Fuel" means gas and oil.

(U) "Emergency" means any unusual incident resulting from natural or unnatural causes which endanger the health, safety or resources of the residents of the State, including damages or erosion to any beach or shore resulting from a hurricane, storm or other such violent disturbance.

(V) "Department" means the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control.

(W) "Board" means the board of the department.

(X) "Maintenance dredging" means excavation to restore the depth of underwater lands or restore channels, basins, canals, or similar waterway accesses to depths and dimensions that support and maintain prior or existing levels of use that previously have been dredged pursuant to a license issued by the department or an exemption as provided in Section 48-39-130(D)(10) as added by Act 41 of 2011.

HISTORY: 1977 Act No. 123, Section 3; 1988 Act No. 634, Section 4; 1993 Act No. 181, Section 1235; 2011 Act No. 41, Section 1, eff June 7, 2011.

Editor's Note

2011 Act No. 41, Sections 4 and 6, provide as follows:

"SECTION 4. The Department of Health and Environmental Control shall promulgate regulations, pursuant to Chapter 23, Title 1, to provide for maintenance dredging as defined in Section 48-39-10. The maintenance dredging regulations must:

"(1) take into account the fact that areas subject to maintenance dredging have previously been impacted and should be evaluated on the incremental impact of the maintenance dredging on existing conditions;

"(2) require the submission of a dredging program document depicting the estimated dimensions, including the existing and proposed depths and location of the general areas proposed to be dredged; the estimated quantity of material to be dredged; the proposed methods and techniques to accomplish the dredging; and the anticipated dredge material placement information at approved dredge disposal locations;

"(3) require that, to the extent practicable and reasonable, such maintenance dredging should be timed to minimize interference with and impacts to aquatic life designated as a threatened or endangered species;

"(4) require that such maintenance dredging should not cause significant erosion above the ordinary high water mark;

"(5) provide that the department must send notice of the expiration of any maintenance dredging permit to the permittee no later than thirty days prior to such permit's expiration;

"(6) provide that the department may issue a five-year extension for any department permit for maintenance dredging as defined in Section 48-39-10 existing as of the effective date of the regulation.

"The regulations should not exceed the scope or stringency of any applicable federal regulations to maintenance dredging and should, to the maximum extent possible, avoid duplication of analysis or evaluation of considerations subject to review by the United States Army Corps of Engineers pursuant to a Clean Water Act Section 404 permit for the same maintenance dredging project."

"SECTION 6. Nothing in this act shall be construed to expand or increase the department's jurisdiction or to require permits for activities or projects that are not currently subject to regulation by the department. Except for the extension of the permit duration for maintenance dredging permits to ten years, nothing in this act shall be construed to impact any pending request or application for any license or approval from the department."

Effect of Amendment

The 2011 amendment added subsection (X).