Share

Florence, S.C. – A $45,000 grant from the Duke Energy Foundation will support the installation of water bottle refilling stations at 10 South Carolina State Parks in Duke Energy Progress counties in the Pee Dee and Midlands regions. The project will help reduce plastic waste while hydrating countless adventures in some of South Carolina’s most treasured places.  

Each water station includes two water fountains, a bottle-filling spout, and a ground-level pet-friendly fountain, offering visitors and their four-legged friends fresh filtered water at the push of a button. The stations are being installed at common visitation areas or trailheads within the parks.

“Water bottle refilling stations are a great amenity for our State Parks, and they support our park operations and improve visitor experience in unique ways,” said Duane Parrish, director of the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism. “They give visitors free access to fresh, clean water – helping prevent one of our most common safety concerns, dehydration. They also reduce single-use plastic waste in our parks by encouraging visitors to refill or reuse empty bottles. This helps our parks stay cleaner, which is great for our staff, our visitors, and our natural resources. After the 10 new stations are installed this year, 35 South Carolina State Parks will offer water bottle refilling stations thanks to the support of the Duke Energy Foundation.”

“It’s important for companies like ours to work alongside our communities to protect, enhance, and promote the tremendous natural assets of the Palmetto State, and encourage connections between people and the environment that will often last a lifetime,” said Mindy Taylor, director of government and community relations for Duke Energy. “South Carolina State Parks works every day to champion these connections with innovative projects like these refilling stations that Duke Energy is excited to help expand in the Pee Dee and Midlands.”

The new water bottle filling stations will be installed at the following South Carolina State Parks in the coming months:

• Cheraw State Park
• Goodale State Park
• H. Cooper Black Jr. Memorial Field Trail and Recreation Area
• Huntington Beach State Park
• Lee State Park
• Little Pee Dee State Park
• Myrtle Beach State Park
• Poinsett State Park
• Ramsey Grove State Park (*future state park not yet open to the public)
• Woods Bay State Park

The list of stations that were installed last year is available here. This initiative rolled out in 2024 in conjunction with two other efforts to encourage sustainability in South Carolina State Park retail stores – transitioning to selling water in recycling-friendly aluminum cans instead of single-use plastics, and swapping plastic shopping bags with paper bags.

The Duke Energy Foundation has been a generous supporter of projects and programs that help protect, enhance, and share our natural resources in South Carolina State Parks and all over the state. This is the fourth year in a row that a grant announcement has been made in conjunction with Earth Day:

• 2025: In addition to the water bottle refilling stations coming to the Pee Dee and Midlands, today, leaders from Duke Energy and South Carolina State Parks announced details of additional grants in the Upstate. The Duke Energy Foundation is supporting trail recovery efforts following the damage of Hurricane Helene and the recent wildfires and donating an all-terrain wheelchair at Table Rock State Park.
• 2024: The Duke Energy Foundation donated $150,000 to install water bottle refilling stations at 25 South Carolina State Parks.
• 2023: South Carolina State Parks and Duke Energy cut the ribbon on a new paved trail to Lake Placid at Paris Mountain State Park for visitors with mobility impairments.
• 2022: The Duke Energy Foundation awarded $400,000 to various organizations supporting sustainability and environmental efforts across Palmetto State, including the Lake Placid trail project at Paris Mountain State Park.

Plan your next adventure in a South Carolina State Park at southcarolinaparks.com and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

###

View and download examples of the water bottle refilling stations here: https://scprt.widencollective.com/c/2iyhpgq1