PROGRESS MAY 2018: Edisto River users want landing improvements

Several river users came together in early May to share with lawmakers and planners their ideas for making the Edisto better.

"We all know the Edisto River is a jewel," said Rep. Jerry Govan, D-Orangeburg.

"It is certainly something we need to take advantage of and something God has blessed us with,” he said.

Orangeburg County is developing a master plan for improving Edisto River access, using about $500,000 from the S.C. Department of Natural Resources Water Recreation Resource Fund.

The master plan will provide an overview of public and private access points in an effort to improve usage on the north and south forks of the river.

About 120 miles of the river flows through Orangeburg County.

"Marine industry design guidelines for water access suggests on a riverine system like the Edisto, it is appropriate to provide access to a ramp or other points every 10 miles," Applied Technology Management civil engineer Kirby Marshall said Monday.

"We have identified four areas that are greater than 10 miles,” Marshall said.

"Those are some of the areas we are going to focus on initially to see if additional access is needed," Marshall said. "Further, we are going to take a harder look at the existing conditions of some of these other facilities."

The planners have been identifying the river’s access points and their conditions. Some are paved, some are gravel, some are smaller and some have more amenities.

"It really runs the gamut," Marshall said.

The study will also look at the various uses of the river, from non-motorized to motorized boats.

The study will look at what river users would like, such as grass entry points, gravel launches and floating dock access points, as well as handicapped accessible landings.

"We don't want focus a lot on private access sites the county may have to expend additional funds to purchase," Marshall said. "We want to look at county-owned land and county-owned sites."

"This is your river," Marshall said. "Y’all are the primary users of the facility. We want to hear what you have to say."

ATM is joined by Charleston-based Johnson, Laschober & Associates in the project.

River cleanup

In addition to the master plan, the second phase of a river cleanup got underway. The cleanup process included a physical inventory and assessment of the current condition of about 30 miles of the river from the Glover Street landing to Branchville at U.S. Highway 21.

The county cleaned up debris left by the 2014 ice storm, the historic 2015 flood and 2016's Hurricane Matthew.

"These last few storms, it became apparent to us that we were going to need some professional help to get the river cleared," Hutto said. "We wanted to keep it as much of a natural state as we can but we understood that some of those big trees that fell across the river were just bigger than a fisherman or a Boy Scout troop could clear."

The first cleanup phase was conducted in late fall of 2017 after a summer assessment of a 10-mile stretch of the river. This cleanup effort entailed the stretch from Baughman's Landing to the City of Orangeburg's Glover Street landing.

In the first phase, more than 50 blockages were identified that prevented recreational use of the river.

The first cleanup cost approximately $70,000. The cost of the second cleanup will be contingent upon the extent of the work involved.

Mother Nature also damaged the Edisto Memorial Gardens boardwalk during the 2015 floods. The 2,700-foot boardwalk from the waterwheel beyond remains closed to the public.