The bill S. 724 aims to amend the South Carolina Code of Laws by adding Section 58-27-835, which establishes reporting requirements for commercial data centers that consume three million gallons or more of water on a monthly basis. These data centers will be required to submit an annual report to the Department of Environmental Services by January 31st, detailing their water usage from various sources during the previous calendar year, as well as their anticipated water usage for the current year. The bill defines a "commercial data center" as a facility or group of facilities with a peak demand of one hundred megawatts or greater used for data storage, retrieval, or transmission.

Additionally, the bill grants the Department of Environmental Services the authority to audit these reports and the data used to compile them, with a requirement to provide thirty days' notice before commencing an audit. It also establishes penalties for non-compliance, including a civil fine of up to ten thousand dollars for each day a report is filed late after January 31st, as well as a ten-thousand-dollar penalty for any inaccurate or misleading information in the report. The act will take effect upon approval by the Governor.

Statutes affected:
12/10/2025: 58-27-835
12/10/2025-A: 58-27-835
Latest Version: 58-27-835