Pay for the Port Locally

The Port of Georgetown needs its channel dredged. That’s nothing new. But a regulation change passed last year by Congress could provide a new avenue for getting that project completed at last: Local funding. It’s an idea that Georgetown leaders and port boosters should explore.

The problem by this time is a familiar one to most readers, we imagine. The port has become too shallow for many ships to use, but because fewer ships use it, the port has also become ineligible for increased federal funding. Authorized to be 27 feet deep, the harbor’s channel has silted up over the years, particularly in the 1.3-mile Sampit River section, which the most recent survey found to be only about 10 feet deep.

While the S.C. Ports Authority has done a commendable job of finding creative ways to boost the port’s business this past year, the agency has still had to turn away business that could have otherwise boosted the region’s bottom line. Reporter Dawn Bryant wrote last week that 10 businesses in the past four years were forced to look elsewhere because of the port’s channel depth.

But Georgetown leaders continue to be optimistic and see a bright future for the port, especially if it can be dredged.

“It would be a tremendous boost for our entire region,” said Wayne Gregory, Georgetown County’s economic development director. The port, he told Bryant, “is a tremendous asset, but if you don’t have the water, you can’t get ships in there.”

Well, perhaps it’s time for Georgetown to put its money where its mouth has been. Gregory certainly hasn’t been the only one pushing for dredging. Over recent years, a who’s who of Georgetown notables has called for dredging the port. They now have the chance to do some real work toward that goal.

When we suggested in the past that Georgetown County consider paying for the dredging itself – or at least jump-start the process with local funds – we often heard that while it was a fine idea in theory, there was a large roadblock. The Army Corps of Engineers, which would do the work, was simply not allowed to take local funds for such projects. That’s no longer the case.

As part of the federal budget process last year, the rules governing such contributions were changed. In the past, local political subdivisions such as cities or counties could contribute only toward “flood control or environmental restoration work.” After the budget was passed, however, the scope was widened to include any “water resources development study or project.” Lisa Metheney, with the corps office in Charleston, confirmed that the Georgetown port would be included among projects now allowed to take advantage of local funding.

With that in mind, it’s time for Georgetown leadership to take a hard look at the idea of raising their own funds. Horry County can provide a number of examples of using these sort of local funding drives to pay for locally needed projects, from the 1 percent sales tax that aids school construction to the RIDE tax that built highways and paved roads. They work.

After years of waiting fruitlessly, neither money from the state or the federal government seems likely. If dredging the port is as necessary as officials say it is and would boost the area’s economy so dramatically, local funds should be considered. When it comes to funding, Georgetown County Council Chairman Johnny Morant said that “we are certainly exploring all of the options that are available to us.” Assuming that’s the case, this option deserves a place at the head of the line.