Santee Cooper Regional Water System Turns 30
MONCKS CORNER, S.C. – For 30 years, Santee Cooper has provided safe and affordable drinking water to the people of Goose Creek, Moncks Corner, Summerville and Berkeley County. Since beginning operations on Oct. 1, 1994, the Santee Cooper Regional Water System has proudly pioneered the first regional approach to water distribution in the Lowcountry, ensuring reliable access to clean drinking water for communities across the region.
The idea of using the Santee Cooper Lakes as a wholesale source of water was supported by several public entities and government officials, including Congressman James E. Clyburn. It required a 1987 amendment to Santee Cooper's enabling legislation and the 1992 creation of the Lake Moultrie Water Agency, a joint-municipal water agency comprised of Berkeley County Water & Sanitation, the City of Goose Creek, Moncks Corner Public Works Commission, and the Summerville Commissioners of Public Works.
“The Lake Moultrie Regional Water Agency continues to be a shining example of public-entity cooperation, and its importance cannot be overstated,” said Gregory Habib, Mayor of Goose Creek and Chairman of the Lake Moultrie Water Agency. “Berkeley and Dorchester counties’ incredible progress over the past few decades would simply not have been possible without the Water Agency. We appreciate it in ways big and small, and we look forward to working together to ensure its future success.”
“Creating the Santee Cooper Regional Water System on Lake Moultrie united Santee Cooper and our partners around a common goal – to provide safe, reliable and affordable water to our communities,” said Jimmy Staton, President and CEO. “Dependable water is essential not only for health and quality of life, but also for supporting businesses, tourism, and other activities that strengthen our economy and create jobs. Together, we look forward to continuing this vital work.”
Santee Cooper announced plans for the Santee Cooper Regional Water System in July 1991 with a capacity of 24 million gallons of water per day (mgd) and 23 miles of pipeline. The following spring, the Santee Cooper Board of Directors approved the construction and operation of a water treatment plant on the shore of Lake Moultrie near Moncks Corner.
Construction on the water treatment plant began in February 1993, and the first water was drawn from Lake Moultrie and treated on Aug. 11, 1994. The Santee Cooper Regional Water System delivered its first water to the Lake Moultrie Water Agency's four members Sept. 20-26, and it entered commercial operation on Oct. 1, 1994.
Under its agreement with Santee Cooper, the Lake Moultrie Water Agency owns 100 percent of the water treatment plant's capacity and sells it to the four agency members.
The Santee Cooper Regional Water System has expanded to a treatment capacity of 40 million gallons of water per day and continues to build on a solid 30 years of operations. It has been recognized by organizations like the Partnership for Safe Water, which has awarded the Santee Cooper Regional Water System its Directors Award every year since 1999 along with its 5-year, 10-year, 15-year, 20-year and 25-year Directors Award in 2004, 2009, 2014, 2019 and 2024. The system has been recognized for producing the state's "Best Tasting Water" by the S.C. Rural Water Association — joining sister system, the Lake Marion Regional Water System, which has also won the award.
