SANTEE - Ten submerged barges, which were revealed last fall at the Ballard’s Point area of Lake Marion when the drought brought lake levels to a 50-year low, are being removed by Santee Cooper.

The work started Monday, coming as welcome news to residents of the Chapel Branch development in Santee whose efforts were instrumental in the banishment of the barges.

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Santee Cooper estimates the barge removals will take up to 10 weeks. The beach across from Ballard’s Point will be closed while the work takes place. Access to Chapel Branch may be partially limited or temporarily blocked for periods during this project.

“We are pleased that our concerns are being addressed by Santee Cooper, because the situation was an accident waiting to happen,” said Chapel Branch resident Elinor Prescott, who spearheaded the campaign to get rid of the barges.

The State Archaeologist’s Office surveyed the site in June and endorsed the barge removal. Although the origin of the barges has not been confirmed, reports from area residents cited by that office suggest they may have been used when the Interstate 95 bridges were built across Lake Marion, roughly 40 years ago.

“The wooden barges have several metal rods that extend into the lake, and they could be a hazard to boaters and swimmers, especially when the lake levels are low. When the drought uncovered the barges, we inspected the area and decided that if we could, we should remove them,” said R.M. Singletary, senior vice president of corporate services at Santee Cooper. “First, we worked with archaeologists who concluded that moving the barges would not destroy any items of historical significance. Now, we will begin the lengthy process of safety clearing them from the lake.”

Susan V. Welch, supervisor of inspections and compliance, said that before Santee Cooper could proceed with the removal of the barges, they needed approval from DHEC, the Army Corps of Engineers and State Maritime Archaeologist Chris Amer.

“Amer’s office mapped it and took sonar images,” Welch said. “One barge is located under a portion of the beach, and another is under a dock here at Ballard’s Point.”

“It would have been much easier to accomplish the removal when the lake was down, but we needed the appropriate studies from these agencies,” she said. “We were looking for the quickest and most economical way to remove the barges.”

David McClary, supervisor of spillway and marine services, noted, “What we are attempting now is trial and error. We may have to go to a grapple system.”

Personnel from Santee Cooper looked on as the retrieval barge was repositioned to another angle to attempt to remove the timbers. “The excavator will retrieve pieces of the barges, and the debris will be loaded onto another barge to a disposal site,” McClary said. He said the crane is 100 feet tall and is hooked to a spud 65 feet tall.

“The silver lining of the drought situation was the exposure of the barges,” Santee Cooper spokesperson Mollie Gore said. “We have a good working relationship with the State’s Archaeologist’s Office and are looking forward to having area residents use the lake safely for boating and fishing.”

Santee Cooper is consulting with the state Department of Health and Environmental Control to ensure that the project does not adversely impact water quality in the area. The project will not affect lake water levels, Gore said.

For additional information, contact Santee Cooper’s Office of Property Management at 843-761-4068.

T&D Correspondent Shirley Upton can be reached by e-mail at writer@ntinet.com.

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