Myrtle Beach area development decisions create problems
Over the past several years, I have noticed developers’ complete disregard for our natural resources by “clear cutting” hundreds of acres of trees to accommodate the ballooning population of our area.
County officials are turning a blind eye to this devastation.
One major concern should be the flooding history in the past two years. The 500-year floods are becoming a yearly event. Is there a correlation between the acres of trees being removed and the recent history of catastrophic floods?
Let’s use common sense. Shake a tree after a heavy rain and see for yourself how much water a tree conserves, then multiply that water by a hundred or a thousand.
Where do you think that water is going? Has anyone who has lived in this area noticed how the flood zone maps are expanding? Are you paying for flood insurance that wasn’t required before?
County officials should be concerned and rein in this over-development and possibly require developers to allot a proportion of mature trees to remain, maybe a ratio of one acre to 10 acres. And small parks would be an asset to any project-providing oxygen, shade and habitat for birds, and more.
Gretchen Legler, Myrtle Beach
This story was originally published September 13, 2017 at 8:35 PM with the headline "Myrtle Beach area development decisions create problems."