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Greenville News 08/23/08
Upstate lake levels reach critical point Clemson University enacts voluntary water conservation By Anna Simon CLEMSON BUREAU CLEMSON -- Drought’s stranglehold on the Upstate tightened further Friday when Clemson University called for voluntary water conservation on campus as Lake Hartwell continued to drop.
Lake Hartwell was at 645.38 feet above mean sea level Friday, according to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers data. That is more than 14 feet below full pool.
Falling below 646 feet triggered a “Severe Drought” phase of the university’s drought management plan, as well as Trigger Level 3. The Corps’ trigger ordinarily would further restrict flow from the dams, but the Corps already voluntarily did that last October, nearly a year ago, and no further action will be taken at this time, said Billy Birdwell, a Corps spokesman.
http://www.greenvilleonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080823/NEWS01/308230006/1001/NEWS&template=printart
Greenville News 08/22/08
Hartwell Lake water-level projections through October are grim, officials say
By Titus Ledbetter III
Hartwell, Ga. — U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials stunned a crowd at Cateechee Golf Club on Friday by announcing that water levels at Lake Hartwell are projected to fall nine more feet by late October.
“The lake level projections through October are grim unless we get some type of tropical system that provides a recharge,” said Virgil G. Hobbs III, the Corps operations project manager for Hartwell Lake, after the meeting that took place in Hartwell, Ga. “That could happen.”
Sandy Campbell, the chief ranger for the Hartwell Project of the Corps, told more than 250 residents gathered at Cateechee that the lake level could reach 636.5 feet on Oct. 25. That would shatter the previous record low of 642.4 feet set in 1981.
Roughly 160 residents were turned away from Friday’s informational the meeting because of space restrictions, said Lee Barton, the owner of the golf club.
The Savannah District of the Corps initiated its Drought Level 3 Contingency Plan on Monday when the lake hit 646 feet above mean sea level. The lake level was 645.5 feet on Thursday.
http://www.independentmail.com/news/2008/aug/22/hartwell-lake-water-level-projections-through-octo/?printer=1/
Columbia - The State 08/22/08
Loggerhead turtles nest at record pace in S.C.
By LIZ MITCHELL
HILTON HEAD ISLAND — Nearly two hours before dawn Wednesday, the beaches on Hilton Head Island are empty.
The only sounds are of sloshing waves and the low hum of two all-terrain vehicles whose riders scan the 12 miles of beach for loggerhead hatchlings.
This is a record nesting year on Hilton Head, where 199 nests have been discovered. It is the second-largest nesting season since 1985 — the year the local Sea Turtle Protection Project began.
Loggerheads are setting records statewide and across the South. Across South Carolina, more than 3,000 nests have been found.
But those numbers don’t guarantee the species’ continued survival.
A CHANGE IN STATUS?
Despite strong nesting numbers, biologists warn that the population of these rare turtles that can weigh up to 300 pounds and live to be 100 years old is still at risk.
http://www.thestate.com/local/v-print/story/498259.html
Columbia - The State 08/21/08
Richland sues S.C. for land
By DAWN HINSHAW
Richland County has filed suit against state government for the return of 146 acres on Pineview Road, the site of a failed farmers market project.
State officials, meanwhile, want to be reimbursed for more than $2.5 million they spent clearing the land of trees and relocating power lines before the deal fell apart.
The case will boil down to a judge’s interpretation of “improvements” made to the property.
But a taxpayer advocate said Wednesday local legislators need to step up to resolve the dispute and avoid unnecessary legal bills.
http://www.thestate.com/local/story/497004.html
Charleston - Post and Courier 08/21/08
Blacks urged to join climate debate
By Bo Petersen
FLORENCE— When former vice president Al Gore talked about climate change, a lot of people in the South Santee community didn't pay much mind, Sam Campbell said.
"You see it, but it went over your head," said the resident of the community near McClellanville. "When it's hard living on a $500-per-month fixed income, hard to pay the light bill, pay for (natural) gas, go to town and buy gasoline, that's when it hits home."
That's the notion behind the Commission to Engage African-Americans on Climate Change, an effort led by environmental groups to bring carbon fuels and the debate into the voting forefront of people in black communities. They tend to produce less carbon emissions than other groups but pay a steeper price in economic, health and environmental impacts, studies suggest.
Those are the people along the I-95 corridor that U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., represents, he said. "We know that here in South Carolina we have a disparity in health care," Clyburn said.
http://www.charleston.net/news/2008/aug/21/blacks_urged_join_climate_debate51548/?print
Charleston - Post and Courier 08/20/08
505-acre Edisto Is. tract preserved
Swarms of migrating birds, wading birds, ospreys and eagles have fed for years in paradise along the Intracoastal Waterway on Edisto Island. Paradise hasn't been lost.
The Edisto Island Open Land Trust has gotten a conservation agreement on 505 acres of the former Paradise Shrimp farm that had been sought by developers for a subdivision and condominiums.
The tract includes 35 ponds and 4,000 feet of marsh frontage below the McKinley Washington Bridge over the Dawhoo River and a stretch along S.C. Highway 174.
Development would be limited to a handful of homes, said Marian Brailsford, the trust's executive director. The land is the biggest tract preserved by the trust and complements large tracts preserved alongside it. The $1 million easement was paid for with $900,00 from the Charleston County Greenbelt Bank and $100,000 from the South Carolina Conservation Bank.
http://www.charleston.net/news/2008/aug/20/505acre_edisto_tract_preserved/?print
Orangeburg - Times and Democrat 08/19/08 Four-day week proves a plus for S.C. agency THE ISSUE: Four-day work week OUR OPINION: SCDOT experience is example for others What’s good for summer will continue into the fall. The S.C. Department of Transportation has announced that it will move forward with its pilot program allowing employees to work extended hours on a four-day schedule.
No, this does not mean SCDOT will be open only four days a week. The agency will continue to operate Monday through Friday as usual, but employees enrolled in the program will work a four-day-per-week schedule, typically from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Schedules will continue to be staggered so that services can be provided five days per week.
As much as the four-day week makes sense as the agency is trying to save money in expensive times, it appears to have other positive effects.
Transportation Secretary H.B. Limehouse Jr. said the four-day work week program has become popular among employees. “The pilot program has proved to be successful because employee morale has gone to higher levels. Employees who are on the four-day schedule tell us they accomplish much more during the early morning hours before the traditional workday gets started and they can finish more tasks in the late afternoon hours while avoiding rush-hour traffic,” Limehouse said.
Limehouse cited other factors that benefit both SCDOT employees and the public:
• The extended work days will allow workers to commute to and from work before and after peak rush hour times.
• Fewer cars on the roads will reduce congestion, which saves fuel consumption for everyone.
• Reduced congestion has proven to increase the safety on the highways.
• A reduction in congested, stop-and-go traffic also reduces emissions that damage air quality, particularly during warm-weather months when “ozone alerts” that indicate immediate air quality problems are possible.
http://thetandd.com/articles/2008/08/18/opinion/doc48a62e8c77456186459176.prt
Myrtle Beach - The Sun News 08/19/08
Jellyfish numerous this year
Grand Strand, other beaches see increase By JANELLE FROST MYRTLE BEACH — Richard Peak has been surfing all his life, and not once had he been stung by a jellyfish — until three weeks ago.
The 48-year-old, originally from Atlantic City, N.J., was surfing near the Cherry Grove Fishing Pier in North Myrtle Beach when a Portuguese man-of-war wrapped its tentacles around Peak’s leg.
“I thought it was the leash on my board, but it was tentacles,” said Peak, who grew up on the beach. “It felt like a blowtorch,” he said.
Peak is among many beachgoers who have felt the sting of a jellyfish this season. Warmer-than-usual ocean temperatures along the 60 miles of Grand Strand beaches and coastal North Carolina have meant a boom in jellyfish, which has been bad news for swimmers, according to some area beach officials.
National beaches also are seeing high numbers of jellyfish on the sand and in the water. Marine biologists blame the overabundance of jellyfish on several factors, including global warming; the overfishing of their predators, such as tuna; and pollution, such as runoff from lawn fertilizer, according to a CBS News report.
http://www.thestate.com/local/v-print/story/494437.html
Charleston - WCBD News 2 08/18/08
Can You Hear Me Now?
Nest can't be moved until later
By Tim Gehret
A Lowcountry woman frustrated over dropped cell phone calls contacted News 2 after learning an osprey nest on top of a cell phone tower was interrupting service.
Pat Broghamer, a realtor on James Island says the service interruptions have forced her to forward calls to her home phone and have become a burden on her business.
News 2 contacted Verizon Wireless, Broghamer's phone company. A spokesperson for Verizon says they have credited her for her inconvenience but couldn't remove the nest because state and federal law prohibits removal until nesting season ends in August.
They said they will clear the tower at the end of the month. Verizon representative says the nest could be one of several issues affecting service and urge anyone experiencing difficulties to contact tech support.
http://www.counton2.com/midatlantic/cbd/news.PrintView.-content-articles-CBD-2008-08-18-0015.html
Charleston - Post and Courier 08/18/08
Save South Carolina's water
Oil has become a resource of economic necessity over the last century. But water has always been, and will always be, necessary for human survival. That makes the frequent droughts in much of our state over the past few years a cause for serious concern. Those droughts also should provide powerful impetus for water conservation.
Gov. Mark Sanford asked last week that all but two of the state's counties — Charleston and Beaufort — be declared federal disaster areas. The state's coast has generally been spared the more extended dry conditions suffered in the Upstate and western parts of South Carolina during a 2002-07 drought that ended — for a while — with heavy spring rains this year.
However, all South Carolinians are in this troubling situation together. Much of our state's drinking water comes from river systems that flow down from North Carolina. S.C. Attorney General Henry McMaster has challenged the Tar Heel State's plans to reduce our supply by using much more of the water in the Catawba-Wateree system, with the U.S. Supreme Court appointing a special judge to hear that case.
http://www.charleston.net/news/2008/aug/18/save_south_carolinas_water51173/?print
Hilton Head - Island Packet 08/18/08
County, island to preserve additional 257 acres along May River By JIM FABER The Beaufort County Council has moved to preserve another 257 acres in the Ulmer tract from development.
The council voted last week to buy a conservation easement for the 257-acre tract east of Burnt Church Road for $6 million.
The Hilton Head Island Town Council is expected to vote in early September on whether it will pay half that cost, said Curtis Coltrane, assistant town manager.
http://www.islandpacket.com/news/local/story/581440.html
Hilton Head - Island Packet 08/17/08
County right to appeal controversial decisions Beaufort County Council's decision to fight for the ability to determine how the county protects our natural resources is to be applauded.
The county has the right and the obligation to develop rules and laws that protect these resources, especially our tidal creeks and rivers. We have the right, through our local elected officials, to opt for stricter regulations than the state's. We should have the ability to correct policies of the past that did not do enough to protect our resources or our quality of life. We should not be doomed to live with past mistakes.
http://www.islandpacket.com/opinion/story/579462.html
Charleston - Post and Courier 08/16/08
Protecting a forest treasure
Norfolk Southern set the gold standard for corporate generosity with its decision to place a conservation protections on 12,500 forest acres in Dorchester County. The donated easement will ensure the continued existence of an immensely valuable tract in perpetuity.
The land is home to one of the largest stands of longleaf pine in the state. The easement provides that the property can't be subdivided and will preserve a portion of an ecosystem that once dominated the Southeast.
Brosnan is a few miles from Beidler Forest, an internationally known bird sanctuary that includes one of the nation's oldest bottomland forests. There's a possibility that the two large tracts could eventually be linked by other easements now under consideration by private landowners.
Will Haynie, executive director of the Lowcountry Open Land Trust, says that some conservation-minded property owners already have contacted his organization about similar protections on nearby land.
http://www.charleston.net/news/2008/aug/16/protecting_forest_treasure51015/?print
Columbia - The State 08/14/08
Hooked on angling: Contest reels in eager help By TIM FLACH For veteran anglers Ed Matthews, Tony Wilcox and Randy Ferrell, a major fishing competition that starts today on Lake Murray is the king of sports championships.
To them, the Word Series, the Masters and similar events are all a distant second “If I can’t go fishing, I’ll watch the Super Bowl,” said Wilcox, who lives in Lexington. “Thank God it comes on late in the day so I can go fishing earlier.”
That passion led him to join a team of 75 Columbia-area volunteers who will staff exhibits, put up banners, serve as chauffeurs and handle other jobs at the Forrest Wood Cup.
The event is the world’s richest bass tournament with up to $2 million in prizes.
Some preliminary rounds have occurred in past years at the 47,500-acre lake, but it’s the first time the championship is being staged there. To anglers staffing the event, fascination with the sport is understandable.
http://www.thestate.com/local/v-print/story/489526.html
Rock Hill - The Herald 08/14/08
Catawba named a scenic river
By Matt Garfield
Eric Newell kayaks in the Catawba River at Landsford Canal State Park in Chester County recently. He is a member of the Catawba Cruisers Paddle Club. The Catawba River was officially deemed a scenic river on Wednesday.
The Catawba River added another jewel to its crown Wednesday when it was officially deemed a scenic river.
Gov. Mark Sanford visited for a signing ceremony to give the designation to a 30-mile stretch from Lake Wylie Dam to the S.C. 9 bridge.
http://www.heraldonline.com/109/v-print/story/747912.html
Columbia - The State 08/14/08
Drought disaster declaration sought
Governor seeks U.S. aid for farmers saying corn, hay and pasture have been lost By MEG KINNARD The Associated Press Gov. Mark Sanford on Wednesday asked that all but two of South Carolina’s counties be declared federal disaster areas because of the region’s ongoing drought, a situation he said is threatening the state’s vital agriculture industry.
In the letter to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer, Sanford said more than 30 percent of this year’s harvest of corn, hay and pasture has been lost because of the drought.
“The Southeast has experienced a period of serious drought for more than a year now,” Sanford wrote in the letter, sent as he toured hard-hit areas in Pickens County.
Only two counties — Charleston and Beaufort, which Sanford said “are not reporting losses at this time” — were not included in the request, which, if approved, would allow farmers to get low-interest emergency loans.
http://www.thestate.com/local/v-print/story/489514.html
Charleston - Post and Courier 08/14/08
Botany Bay Plantation: Birding paradise
BY BO PETERSEN
EDISTO ISLAND — You can hear the wispy trills of painted buntings in the woods at the entrance kiosk. On the remote island beach, pelicans glide so low they seem to be just overhead. That's what waits for birders at Botany Bay.
"Yellow-throated warblers, you can hear them right up on the beach, bobwhite quail, orchard orioles, oystercatchers, black-bellied plovers. We saw a phalarope. We saw a great horned owl. We saw hawks. There's about every kind of bird out there that you'd want to see," said Meggett birder Cherrie Sneed of Carolina Bird Club, who counted 70 different species in three short trips. "I don't know anywhere else where you could find a farm right out on the ocean. It's pretty special."
The newly opened Botany Bay Wildlife Management Area is more than 4,000 acres of an oceanfront plantation willed to the people of South Carolina by its former owner, the late John E. Meyer. It was turned over on the recent death of his widow, Margaret Morgan Meyer Pepper.
The centuries-old farm is a spread of hardwood and pine stands, crop fields, saltmarshes, hummock islands and a maritime forest beach with its own "boneyard," a ghost forest of dead trees in the surf.
http://www.charleston.net/news/2008/aug/14/go_botany50698/?print
Greenville News 08/14/08
State seeks federal funds for drought-stricken farmers
By Anna Simon
PICKENS -- Standing on a patch of drought-parched grass outside the Pickens city water plant Wednesday, Gov. Mark Sanford told a gathering of cattle farmers that he has asked for federal assistance for nearly the entire state.
Sanford said he sent a letter to Ed Schafer, the U.S. secretary of agriculture, earlier Wednesday morning requesting that 44 of the state’s 46 counties -- all but Charleston and Beaufort -- be declared disaster areas.
http://www.greenvilleonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080814/NEWS01/308140002&template=printart
Anderson - Independent Mail 08/13/08
Drought drying up S.C. cattle industry, Sanford asks for help
Ray Chandler/Special to the Independent-Mail
PICKENS COUNTY — Georgeanne Webb kicked at the patchy and withering Bermuda grass sprouting out of her pasture.
“Bermuda can usually grow out of a brick,” she said. “Not this year.”
With her husband, David, Webb runs about 40 head of purebred Charolais cattle on their 88 acres near the Dacusville community. David’s father bought the farm in 1957, and in 1970 it became one of the first purebred Charolais farms in the state. David, president of the South Carolina Charolais Association, said he intends continue as a cattleman come what may. But what doesn’t seem to come is rain.
The plight of farmers such as the Webbs led Gov. Mark Sanford on Wednesday to request the U.S. Department of Agriculture to declare 44 of the state’s 46 counties disaster areas, to qualify for which the counties must have suffered at least 30 percent loss of crop production. Later, Sanford toured the drought-stricken northwest corner of the state to see the conditions for himself.
Like other cattle raisers in the Upstate, where 60 percent of the state’s $140 million beef cattle industry is centered, the Webbs fear they are seeing their way of life drying up before their eyes in the sight of their pastures withering under a rain shortfall of about 11 inches this year. Already they are feeding hay, but the hay supply has its own uncertainties.
http://www.independentmail.com/news/2008/aug/13/drought-drying-sc-cattle-industry-sanford-asks-hel/?printer=1/
Aiken Standard 08/12/08
Reward increases for Bambi killer
By MIKE GELLATLY
Staff writer
A recent death in Aiken County seems to have stirred something in many people. Though this death was not that of a human, it seems to have made many angry and many more sad.
Around two weeks ago, a nearly 4-year-old stag that had lived at Meadow Hill Polo farm in Kitchings Mill for most its life was killed.
Nicknamed Bambi, the large male had become one of the team with the horses and hands at the farm. Sometime between July 31 and Aug. 1, someone shot and killed the animal, leaving its carcass behind.
The shooting outraged the property owners, those who worked at the farm and South Carolina Department of Resources officers. As a result, DNR offered a reward for information leading to a conviction.
This act was not just cruel but criminal. The shooter shot the deer at night from a public road while it was on property that did not belong to the shooter. Night hunting is illegal and considered a serious offense by DNR.
Since then, the reward money has jumped up as several seething citizens look to raise the money and hopefully catch the culprit.
"When I read the story, like anyone who has compassion for animals ... my stomach turned," said Dr. Trey Wofford, of Palmetto Vet Calls. "To shoot a deer and leave it lying there is the lowest. When I was reading the story, I saw there was a reward and thought we might need more to catch the guy. I thought 'Shoot, I'll add $500 of my own.'"
If you have any more information on the violation, call the Operation Game Thief hotline at (800) 922-5431.
http://www.aikenstandard.com/0812Bambi
Aiken Standard 08/04/08
Bambi shot in cold blood
By MIKE GELLATLY
Staff writer
A cowardly act, committed by someone without honor. These are some of the kindest words one South Carolina Department of Natural Resources officer has about someone who illegally gunned down a captive, 4-year-old buck this weekend.
Sometime between the evening of July 31 and Aug. 1, the deer that has almost become a pet of a local polo farm was killed and left to rot, according to Karen Swink of DNR.
The animal was part of the team at Meadow Hill Polo farm in the Kitchings Mill community of Aiken County.
The deer, nicknamed Bambi, was discovered when it was just a fawn. The owners of the property and Barn Manager Sarah Dixon found him and tried to get him out of the pasture.
"He wasn't having any of it," Dixon said.
From that point on, Bambi was accepted as part of the team.
http://www.aikenstandard.com/0805DeerShot
Greenville News 08/13/08
Sanford hoping for break in drought
By Tim Smith
CAPITAL BUREAU
COLUMBIA -- Gov. Mark Sanford said Tuesday he wants to see if any tropical storms dump water on the state before deciding whether to impose mandatory water restrictions as a result of drought.
Sanford plans to visit the water treatment facility in Pickens this morning as part of a tour of drought-stricken areas of the Upstate.
The state's Drought Response Committee last week labeled 14 western counties as suffering from extreme drought, the state's highest drought category, up from five Upstate counties in June.
The governor could seek a disaster declaration from the federal government for counties suffering from the drought, spokesman Joel Sawyer said. Such a declaration could help farmers or others hurt by the lack of water obtain some federal aid.
http://www.greenvilleonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080813/NEWS01/808130378/1001/NEWS&template=printart
Greenville News 08/12/08
Drought disaster may be declared in Upstate, agricultural commissioner says
By Anna Simon
CLEMSON BUREAU
PICKENS -- State Commissioner of Agriculture Hugh Weathers predicted that South Carolina could be declared a federal disaster area due to the impact of drought.
Weathers and Gov. Mark Sanford will be in Pickens Wednesday to have a first-hand look at the local conditions in the Upstate.
The governor’s visit “will highlight the need for people to conserve voluntarily,” said Joel Sawyer, Sanford’s spokesman.
Weathers said the cumulative effect of two years of drought has forced some cattle producers and horse owners to sell off part of their herds because of hay availability.
http://www.greenvilleonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080812/NEWS01/308120003/1001/NEWS
Greenville News 08/12/08
Greenville customers practicing conservation
By Phillip Kilgore
In their column last week in The Greenville News, authors Bill Graham and Ben Turetzky, who are associated with the Friends of the Lake Keowee Society, made three points. They appear to contend that Greenville Water System has a dramatic impact on lake levels at Lake Keowee, and that the Greenville community is not appreciative of this source of water and, finally, that the leadership of Greenville Water is not taking the drought seriously. None of these suggestions is correct.
First, as to Lake Keowee, a little background. Thirty-five years ago, the Greenville Water System contracted with Duke Energy to purchase water from Lake Keowee. Duke Energy is the owner of the lake. In connection with this arrangement, Greenville Water has invested nearly $140 million in capital for treatment and transmission facilities. The beneficiaries of this financial commitment are not only Greenville County residents, but also residents of Pickens and Anderson counties, both in the Savannah River basin. Greenville Water shares its access to Keowee with these communities by providing treated water to several water utilities in these counties.
http://www.greenvilleonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080812/OPINION/808120336/1008&template=printart
Charleston - Post and Courier 08/12/08
Tropics get restless as heart of hurricane season arrives
By Bo Petersen
It's Cape Verde time. After an eerie period of quiet, storm waves off the tropical Atlantic Ocean coast are showing signs of becoming cyclones. Two of them might be on a path toward the Southeast as hurricanes.
Computer model runs suggest a third one is about to come off the African coast behind them.
That's an unmistakable sign of the Cape Verde season, named for the islands off west Africa. The period is the heart of the hurricane year, when tropical cyclones tend to form off the African coast and turn into powerful hurricanes as they cross the Atlantic. Those storms pose the greatest threat to the Southeast. The season usually runs mid-August into October.
http://www.charleston.net/news/2008/aug/12/tropics_get_restless_as_heart_hurricane_50519/?print
Beaufort Gazette 08/12/08
Ag chief says SC could get drought disaster help
Story highlights South Carolina Agriculture Commissioner Hugh Weathers says the state might get a federal disaster declaration because of the drought.
Published Tue, Aug 12, 2008 12:23 PM
PICKENS, S.C. South Carolina Agriculture Commissioner Hugh Weathers says the state might get a federal disaster declaration because of the drought.
The Greenville News reported Weathers and Gov. Mark Sanford are to be in Pickens on Wednesday to examine conditions.
Sanford said Tuesday he has not decided whether to ask for a disaster declaration. He pointed out it's hurricane season and a tropical storm or hurricane could bring more rain than the state could handle.
http://www.beaufortgazette.com/state/v-print/story/519069.html
Beaufort Gazette 08/11/08
Southern governors to develop energy plan
By P.J. DICKERSCHEID
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. Southern governors whose states represent one of the nation's major energy producing regions are working on a comprehensive plan to reduce the South's carbon footprint and create jobs.
"This is a real opportunity for us," Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine said Monday during the closing day of the Southern Governors Association conference at the Greenbrier.
Southern states are already working individually to reduce energy use and develop better technology, but need a unified voice to help shape the national debate, he said.
West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin said more federal research dollars are needed to develop clean-coal technologies, especially if coal is going to continue to account for about half of the nation's energy use.
http://www.beaufortgazette.com/state/v-print/story/518287.html
Greenville News 08/11/08
Ag secretary predicts state could be federal disaster area because of drought By Anna Simon CLEMSON BUREAU PICKENS -- State Secretary of Agriculture Hugh Weathers predicted that South Carolina could be declared a federal disaster area due to the impact of drought.
Weathers and Gov. Mark Sanford will be in Pickens Wednesday to have a first hand look at the local conditions in the Upstate.
The governor’s visit “will highlight the need for people to conserve voluntarily,” said Joel Sawyer, Sanford’s spokesman.
Weathers said the cumulative effect of two years of drought has forced some cattle producers and horse owners to sell off part of their herds because of hay availability.
http://www.greenvilleonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080811/NEWS01/80811031/0/SPORTS&template=printart
Columbia - The State 08/11/08
4,500-year-old artifacts found on Lowcountry school site
BEAUFORT -- Archaeologists have found artifacts dating back as far as 4,500 years at the site of what will become a new Bluffton elementary school.
While doing preliminary testing on the site at the intersection of Davis Road and Bluffton Parkway, the following were discovered in May:
•An arrowhead made of coastal plain chert, a flint-like rock, between 1,000 and 1,500 years old and two arrowhead flakes
•A piece of clay pottery from the same period
•A quartz stone used as a hammer that's more than 4,500 years old to fashion tools, including arrowheads
Archaeologists from S&ME, a Columbia engineering company, found the artifacts buried up to a yard under the surface of the ground, said Bill Green, the company's principal archaeologist and cultural resource department manager. The site is about 250 feet by 50 feet, he said.
http://www.thestate.com/breaking/v-print/story/486271.html
Columbia - The State 08/10/08
Safe water: Return to the river
Boaters, floaters flock to the water after DHEC lifts warning from spill
By JEFFREY DAY
The fun has returned to the Saluda River.
The river and its fans have been suffering since a sewage spill was discovered July 29. The river was declared safe Friday.
On Saturday, the 10 miles of river below the Lake Murray dam was hopping.
The good times started at the northernmost public access point, Saluda Shoals Park, and flowed down to the Gervais Street bridge.
Not long after Saluda Shoals opened Saturday, the big cooker parked next to the Paw Paw picnic shelter was smoking.
About 10 people gathered under the shelter. As the day passed, they were joined by about 140 more, some coming from around the country, but most from South Carolina, wearing blue “Wilson Family Reunion 2008” T-shirts.
In the early morning, some elders of the family, like Rose Reeder, worked on family trees with some of the youngest ones, like Deandre Caldwell, an elementary school student.
“It’s a good place to have it — lots of things for the kids to do, and some people might go out on the river later,” said Monica Caldwell of Columbia.
http://www.thestate.com/local/v-print/story/485314.html
Hilton Head - Island Packet 08/10/08
Enforcement must come before damage is done
After-the-fact enforcement does little good when it comes to protecting our natural resources.
Trees and plants ripped up, riverbanks bulldozed really can't be made right again.
That's why it was frustrating to see county and state enforcement officials allow a contractor to continue to install a rock revetment along the May River -- work they say shouldn't have started -- because the shoreline already had been destabilized. Stopping the revetment work, they said, would have made a bad situation worse.
http://www.islandpacket.com/opinion/story/571844.html
Greenville News 08/09/08
Water conservation efforts paying off
Much of the western half of South Carolina is suffering through a terrible drought that has no end in sight. Reservoirs are down considerably in most Upstate areas, and residents are still being asked to aggressively conserve water.
Even as the seriousness of the drought continues to sink in, it's important to do two things: First, hats off to the many residents and businesses who have cut back on their consumption of water. Successful conservation efforts are playing a big role in keeping those water restrictions voluntary. So everyone, except maybe those homeowners running their automatic sprinkler systems every day, deserves a pat on the back.
Second, the long-range planning of many water systems is paying off. For that, customers need to express their gratitude to water system officials throughout the Upstate for working to ensure water supplies are adequate to carry them, at least so far, through an unprecedented drought that began 10 years ago. The Greenville Water System is highly regarded for planning not years out, but decades out, for its customers' needs. Other water systems have done a good job, too.
http://www.greenvilleonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080809/OPINION01/808090316/1008/OPINION&template=printart
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