News Archive
Thursday, Feb. 03, 2011 - The State Newspaper
Jim Wilson: Green space champion
Appreciation for natural resources spurs Jim Wilson's desire for greenway system in Richland CountyBy DAWN HINSHAW - dhinshaw@thestate.com
"Over the past five years, Jim Wilson helped persuade Richland County landowners to set aside more than 1,600 acres as open green space for generations to come.
Wilson, 63, has led the county's conservation program since 2006, capping off a 40-year career in natural resources. He retired Friday.
Following is more about what motivates him, conservation initiatives he'd like to see Richland County pursue, and why environmentalists and developers need to work together."
Read more...
Thursday, Feb. 03, 2011 - The State Newspaper
We all live downstream
Gardening with Amanda McNulty"Stormwater runoff is a hot issue. For many years, construction sites have included detention basins. These "dry ponds" are designed to capture water that runs off the roofs of buildings, across parking lots, or closely mowed lawns and slowly release it into the drainage system. But if you've ever been in Five Points in Columbia or anywhere South of Broad in Charleston during a thunder shower, you know what happens when the stormwater system gets overloaded. Now cities and counties are required to test this water and report on what they find. Yuck-o-la, all over!"
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Tuesday, December 14, 2010 - The State Newspaper
Quarry planned near USC stadium, apartments
Neighbors plan meeting; some say 'hole in the ground' will hurt areaBy SAMMY FRETWELL - sfretwell@thestate.com
"A Columbia property owner wants to dig a rock quarry less than a half-mile from Williams-Brice Stadium in an area used increasingly for USC student housing and football tailgating activities.
"The quarry would cover parts of 300 acres between Bluff Road and the Congaree River, just below the old state Farmers Market property, according to plans filed with Richland County."
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Sunday, November 14, 2010 - The State Newspaper
Family still fighting to protect ponds
By JOEY HOLLEMAN - holleman@thestate.comJanette Hollis Robinson did everything she could to protect her family's ponds from upstream development, and they still filled with silt.
Now, years after winning a largely uncollected multimillion-dollar court judgment against the developer, another development has started upstream, and Robinson fears the process is starting all over.
The story - eight years of negotiation, agitation, litigation and frustration - illustrates the complicated balancing of rights and interests of longtime landowners and developers who buy land nearby. From 2020-2007, almost 13,000 acres a year in rural S.C. land was converted into developments. State regulations are designed to protect nearby landowners and wildlife downstream. But some runoff is unavoidable from the new construction sites.
Read more...
Wednesday, October 27, 2010 - The State Newspaper
Conservation easement saves a pristine lake, tall pines
By DAWN HINSHAW - The StateToday, Roseberry makes official his decision to leave his home place, just beyond Sesquicentennial State Park, to the deer and fox, the hawks and cranes. He's entering into a conservation easement with Richland County, a covenant that the secluded sanctuary will remain undeveloped.
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Wednesday, October 06, 2010 - The State Newspaper
County approves sewer service for Lower Richland
By DAWN HINSHAW - dhinshaw@thestate.comRichland County has endorsed a long range plan to provide public sewage service to Lower Richland County, agreeing to partner with the city of Columbia to serve long-suffering developers near town.
The $22 million plan gives the county five years to build a treatment system that could serve thousands of potential customers. If the county does not meet the deadline, it risks losing new customers to the city, which agreed to treat wastewater temporarily to get the project going.
Read more...
Watershed Revitalization Project Swings into Gear
by Jerome Collins - WLTXCreated: 9/19/2010 10:44:28 PM Updated: 9/20/2010 8:47:09 AM
"Richland County, SC (WLTX) - If you live along Gills Creek, you could be at risk for flooding because of trash and other pollutants in the waterway.
But now a partnership between county and city governments is trying to remedy a decades-old problem.
'We get out when the weather is nice and paddle around the lake and enjoy the wildlife viewing,' said Mark Huguley.
From the looks of things, it will be a while before Huguley and his Arcadia Lakes neighbors can get back on the water."
Read more and see the video...
Friday, September 17, 2010 - The State Newspaper
Project addresses silt, other pollution in Richland lake
By DAWN HINSHAW - The State Newspaper"By this morning, the bed of Cary Lake should be completely exposed to stumps and trash. The mud that's washed there over the years will be starting to dry.
And in a few weeks, trucks will be able to drive on the lake bed without sinking.
Then, contractors will start to excavate 15 acres of the privately owned lake, 'highly polluted' with silt from nearby construction sites, fecal matter and toxic metals."
Read more...
Friday, August 27, 2010 - The State Newspaper
Bug man collects data that signals better water in creeks
By DAWN HINSHAW - The State Newspaper"Dan Carnagey dished up a pan of murky water, let it settle and then poked among decomposing leaves and veiny roots with his tweezers, looking for signs of life in Crane Creek.
An aquatic entomologist, Carnagey quickly teased out beetles the size of fresh-ground pepper, dragonfly larvae no bigger than a piece of rice and wriggly brown worms."
Read more...
Thursday, July 15, 2010 - The State Newspaper
Opinion - Editorial Columns
Invest in 'green' infrastructure
By GERRIT JOBSIS and STUART GREETER - Guest Columnists - The State Newspaper"By investing in our water infrastructure, Columbia is taking a major step toward protecting our clean water, creating jobs and promoting recreation and tourism.
Columbia's water system has had more sewage spills than any other utility in the state, with more than 200 incidents during the past 18 months. Our city's three rivers, the Saluda, Congaree and Broad, all have had sewage spills within the past year. This is a threat to public health and prevents us from realizing the full economic potential of our rivers as recreation and tourism assets."
Read more...
July 12, 2010 - The State Newspaper
Arcadia Lakes lily pond settlement in works
By SAMMY FRETWELL - The State Newspaper"On a scorching day last week, a heron stepped gingerly through a muddy lake bed filled with drying flowers and baking muck along busy Trenholm Road.
The mud hole was, until a month ago, filled with water and topped by a sea of bright green lily pads - a pond so noticeable that many called it the gateway to Arcadia Lakes.
The scenic lily pond that provided a gateway to Arcadia Lakes is drying up and the pretty white flowers are turning brown as they bake in the mud. Residents are trying to fight a developer they say has drained the pond.
But since mid-May, water has drained slowly out of the pond as developers prepare to build a 204-unit apartment complex and turn the lake bed into a storm water basin."
Read more...
July 6, 2010 - The Free Times
Drink Wine, Not Polluted Urban Stream Water - Free Times
BY TUG BAKER - Free Times Issue #23.27 :: 07/06/2010 - 07/12/2010"Remember that time when Jesus turned water into wine? Yeah, that was pretty cool. Well, the folks at the Gills Creek Watershed Association are trying to do the opposite at their 1st Annual Wine for Water fundraiser Sunday, July 18.
You may be wondering why in the world you should care about some watershed youve probably never heard of, but this complex system of streams and lakes affects Columbians from Spring Valley, Arcadia Lakes, Fort Jackson, Forest Acres, Olympia, Rosewood and more. Its the states largest impaired urban watershed, and urbanization is causing it lots of water quality problems, including excessive sedimentation. The Gills Creek Watershed Association is raising money for projects aimed at keeping this local aquatic habitat alive and thriving, such as decreasing pollution in the watershed and building creek trails."
Read more...
Saturday, July 3, 2010 - The State Newspaper
Watershed Association plans first fundraiser - The State Newspaper
Bertram Rantin"Gills Creek Watershed Association has scheduled its first fundraiser on July 18 at Cooks Mountain in Eastover. The event will run from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. and will include a wine tasting, hors doeuvres, games for children and educational information about the Gills Creek Watershed.
Yancey McLeod, owner of Cooks Mountain property and a Gills Creek Watershed Association board member, will lead two 35- minute nature hikes through his property.
Tickets are $25 a person in advance or $35 at the door. Children are admitted free.
For more information or to buy tickets contact Jessica Artz at (803) 727-8326 or email jartz@environ.sc.edu.
Read original article...
May 15, 2010 - The State Newspaper
Water levels down at scenic lily pond - The State Newspaper
"Water levels are dropping at a well-known lily pond on Trenholm Road - and neighbors want to know why.People who live near Roper Pond gathered Saturday to examine the small lake. They pointed out sections of exposed mud beneath the green and white lily pads. The water appeared to be at least a foot below the lip of the pond.
Roper Pond is a highly visible lake that's an unofficial gateway to the town of Arcadia Lakes. Thousands of motorists whiz past each day on Trenholm Road near Decker Boulevard."
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February 28, 2010
Meet four more Green Queens - The State Newspaper
"These women are working in the trenches of local government to help residents recycle, improve air quality and clean up the water flowing through the Midlands.JESSICA ARTZ
Job: After researching the water-quality trends of Gills Creek for a master's degree, Artz was hired to lead the newly formed Gills Creek Watershed Association last year."
Read more...
December 2, 2009
Response to waterline break criticized - Watchdogs say delay in repair led to sewage dumping into Gills Creek - The State Newspaper
"Water spewing from a broken Columbia utility line severely eroded the bank of a tributary of Gills Creek last week, and workers alerted to the problem early in the night allowed the leak to flow until the next morning.Before the leak was fixed, the water undermined a once-buried sewage line, which spilled untreated sewage into the creek.
The incident last week near Two Notch Road could have been worse if not for the action of two members of the Gills Creek Watershed Association, who noticed Eight-Mile Branch was turning white and then located the problem in a wooded area on a rainy night." "
Read more...
August 11, 2009
Forest Acres considers urban trail. Walkers would follow Gills Creek - The State Newspaper
"Forest Acres will host a public hearing on a proposed walking trail along Gills Creek that advocates say would provide the first public access to the mostly hidden creek. The $775,000 greenway would extend for about a half-mile behind Trenholm Plaza, hugging the bank of the creek through woods parallel to Trenholm Road."Read more...
August 7, 2009
Facts about Gills Creek Watershed- The Columbia Star
"What is a watershed? The region draining into a river, river system, or other body of water. It's South Carolina's largest impaired urban watershed. It contains over 70 miles of streams. It covers over 47,000 acres of land. The population is 140,000. It is represented by multiple jurisdictions. It includes parts of Columbia, Forest Acres, Fort Jackson, and Arcadia Lakes. Urbanization is causing negative impacts to water quality, including excessive sedimentation. The headwaters start above Sesquicentennial State Park and flow into the Congaree River below Columbia."Read more...
July 6, 2009
The Gills Creek Cleanup - The State Newspaper
"A citizen-led effort to restore a polluted system of lakes and creeks that meanders through Richland County is making headway. Cleaning up the silt, trash and pollution in Gills Creek is a monumental and expensive task, one that has been batted around for years."Read more...
April 22, 2009
April 30, 2009 - Public Meeting Announcemnt
The Gills Creek Watershed Association is hosting a public meeting on Thursday April 30, 2009Read more...
December 21, 2007
Gills Creek is in danger of flooding
2007-12-21 / Government/Neighborhood - The Columbia Star By Benjamin Higginsb2@ya Hhoigo.gcionms The Gills Creek Watershed Association held a meeting in the Richland County Council Chambers Thursday, December 6, 2007, to introduce the association to the citizens of Richland County and enlist their help in protecting the Gills Creek Watershed.Read more...
December 5, 2007
Group Works to Restore Gills Creek Watershed - The Free Times
BY JULIE JAREMA"The Gills Creek Watershed in Richland County is polluted with everything from lead to gas, even raw sewage, but mostly with sand from development. The pollution is a major concern for Columbia, Forest Acres and other local municipalities. However, efforts are being made to restore Gills Creek Watershed and preserve wildlife and human life from flooding and other problems like disease-causing organisms."
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