INTERVIEW WITH CHRIS DESCHERER
Why do you choose to support Charleston Waterkeeper?
CD: At SELC, we work with partner organizations across six Southern states to protect the basic right to clean air, clean water, and a livable climate. We focus on preserving our region’s natural treasures and rich biodiversity while ensuring a healthy environment for all.
Charleston Waterkeeper’s mission to protect, defend, and restore the health and integrity of Charleston’s waterways for people and nature makes them a natural partner for us. Over the years, we’ve collaborated on a wide range of efforts — from Clean Water Act litigation to clean up microplastic pellet pollution in Charleston Harbor, to a settlement accelerating Charleston Water System’s work to address sewage overflows in West Ashley, to protecting our coastal waters from offshore drilling and seismic blasting, and advocating for stronger local wetland protections. The partnership has been both impactful and rewarding.
What is your favorite way to enjoy clean water?
CD: That’s a tough one. For me, it’s hard to beat fishing with my family, paddling through a quiet tidal creek, or simply walking along the beach.
What is your favorite waterway in Charleston?
CD: Lately, we’ve really enjoyed fishing for redfish in the Folly River. It’s a beautiful area and, perhaps most importantly, one activity our entire family can happily agree on.
What’s your perspective on development at the Cainhoy Peninsula?
CD: The situation at Cainhoy feels like a pivotal moment for the City of Charleston. On one hand, the City is planning a more-than-billion-dollar seawall around downtown to address sea level rise and storm surge. On the other, developers are proposing thousands of homes in the floodplain and the filling of nearly 200 acres of water-absorbing wetlands elsewhere in the City.
With strong partners in our coalition — and litigation still pending in federal court — I’m hopeful that we can significantly improve the current plans for development over there.
Tell us about what you have been working on or a recent project that you are excited to share.
CD: Recently, we learned of a proposal to build an 859-acre, 1,000-megawatt data center complex in the heart of the ACE Basin — one of the South’s most important conservation areas. In response, we filed a lawsuit on behalf of local landowners challenging a zoning ordinance that created a special exception for data centers in rural Colleton County.
Large-scale data centers require enormous energy demand and can bring significant impacts to water quality, air quality, noise levels, light pollution, and rural community character. The developer has stated the project would require 1,000 megawatts of electricity — nearly half the output of a proposed new methane gas plant at Canadys on the Edisto River, which would include a more than 70-mile gas pipeline.
Industrial-scale data centers do not belong in the ACE Basin. We’re committed to ensuring this significant landscape remains protected for future generations.
Tell us something interesting about yourself that we might not know.
CD: Before law school, I was a ski school instructor in Telluride, Colorado — a very different kind of landscape, but one that also deepened my appreciation for the outdoors.
Chris DeScherer serves as SELC’s South Carolina Office Director. In that role, he leads efforts across the state, working closely with partners and communities to protect South Carolina’s air, water, communities, and natural landscapes.
