Charles Privette, III

Department Chair & Professor
Agricultural Sciences Department, SC Water Resources Center

Office: 247 McAdams Hall
Phone: 864-656-6247
Fax: 864-656-0338

Email: privett@clemson.edu
Vita: Download CV

Educational Background

Ph.D. Civil Engineering
University of South Carolina 2005

M.S. Biosystems Engineering
Clemson University 1998

B.S. Agricultural Engineering
Clemson University 1997

Courses Taught

Previously:
AGM 2210: Land Surveying
AGM 4020/6020: Irrigation Design
AGM 472: Capstone Design
BE 475: Biosystems Capstone Design
BE 322: Hydrology and Sedimentology
BE 422: Advanced Hydrology
BE 222: Geomeasurements
CE 341: Introduction to Fluid Mechanics
LARCH 462: Landscape Architecture Design III

Research Interests

Previous research projects include: real-time monitoring of road construction on the Foothills Parkway for water quality assessment, modeling urban growth and its impacts on both water quantity and quality, developing BMPs for SCDOT on turbidity control, remote sensing of surface soil moisture using reflected satellite signals, and monitoring surface runoff from agricultural fields for nutrients and pesticides. Other areas of interest include BMP development for sediment and stormwater control, TMDLs, and low impact designs.

Extension and Outreach

CSPR- Certified Stormwater Plan Reviewer
CEPSCI – Certified Erosion Prevention and Sediment Control Inspector

Publications

Journals
Busari, I., Sahoo, D., Das, N., Privette, C., Schlautman, M., Sawyer, B. (2025). Advancing Harmful Algal Bloom Predictions using Chlorophyll-a as an Indicator: Combining Deep Learning and EnKF Data Assimilation Method. Journal of Environmental Management. Accepted April 16, 2025.
Busari, I., Sahoo, D., Sudheer, K., Harmel, R., Privette, C., Schlautman, M., Sawyer, C. (2024). Investigating the influence of measurement uncertainty on Chlorophyll-a predictions as an indicator of harmful algal blooms in machine learning models. Ecological Informatics Vol 82.
Zhang, Y., Bhattarai, R., Flanagan, D., Privette, C., (2024). Effectiveness of structural sediment perimeter barrier: literature review and suggestions for future research. Journal of the ASABE. 67(4): 965-981. (doi: 10.13031/ja.15630).
Busari, I. Sahoo, D., Jana, R., and Privette, C. (2023) "Chlorophyll a Predictions in a Piedmont Lake in Upstate South Carolina Using Machine-Learning Approaches," Journal of South Carolina Water Resources: Vol. 9 : Iss. 1 , Article 9.
Koparan, C., A. B. Koc, C.V. Privette, and C. Sawyer. 2020. Adaptive water sampling device for aerial robots. Drones 2020, 4(1), 5.
Privette, C., C. Sawyer, J. Berry, J. Hayes, and W. Bridges. 2017. Reductions in turbidity and Escherichia coli density using passive polymer treatment in simulated stormwater runoff. Agricultural Engineering International: CIGR Journal, 19(3).
Privette, C., Smink, J. 2017. Assessing the Potential Impacts of WWTP Effluent Reductions within the Reedy River Watershed. Journal of Ecological Engineering. Vol 98 (11-16).
Privette, C., Taylor, S., Hayes, J., Hallo, L., Nix, H. 2015. Forecasting the impacts of future development on water quantity and quality within the Reedy River Watershed. Journal of Land Use Policy. Vol 44 (1-9).