Lack of development foresight is the cause of our growing woes

There was a big front page story in the (Charleston) Post and Courier on Aug. 17 documenting the fact that much of our state has been in a moderate drought for quite some time. The story further describes extensive studies that have been under way for many years which have quantified water flows from the mountain streams and rivers that supply our clean fresh water in South Carolina.

The bad news is that while our water usage has drastically increased, these water flows have been declining since 1970. What is worse is that scientists predict more intense and longer lasting droughts in the coming years.

When droughts occur, there is a great deal of evaporation and absorption of moisture, with precious little rainfall making way to reservoirs and the water table. Prolonged and intense droughts can create catastrophes and water wars between states – which have occurred in the recent past.

Ever since I was a member of the Georgetown County Stormwater Advisory Committee more than 10 years ago, I have taken great interest in studying everything related to water issues. We have had problems with water shortages and salt water intrusion in our water table and way upstream in our tidal rivers during a drought a few years back. Sewer and water companies had to scramble to find places up river where they could extract clean water.

As our area continues to grow (experts predict that more than 1 million more folks will live east of I- 95 in the coming decades) and water usage increases, it is reasonable to think that the availability of clean fresh water will be a major issue for the next generation.

So, I guess it would be logical for us to plan vigorously for that situation now with aggressive planning for something that we are sure will happen. Do you think that is a possibility? With today’s tightened budgets, maybe not.

The powers that be are too busy allocating funds for stuff that should have been done proactively decades ago. The old saying, “You can pay me now – or pay me a lot more later,” comes to mind. We have been paying a lot more later for a long, long time!

The International Drive debacle in Horry County is a prime example. Developers were allowed to build beautiful golf courses and thousands of homes in what used to be wilderness – directly adjacent to a wildlife preserve, without being required to build adequate roads and evacuation routes to accommodate all the growth they created.

Common sense would dictate that the developers and new residents would have been required to foot the bill for adequate roads and services. But no. So now, many years after the building occurred, residents are understandably livid that these roads and services are lacking.

A “hindsight solution” was promulgated, once again: the paving of International Drive was approved with a caveat for wildlife (not just bears) to have tunnels built under the proposed road to allow them access and egress from the wildlife sanctuary.

Then, in 2014, all of a sudden, there was opposition from the South Carolina Wildlife Federation and the Coastal Conservation League – because the county reneged on their word to build the wildlife tunnels, citing the extremely lame excuse that “the bears are mostly gone since a wildfire in the area.”

Well, when I was a little kid, I learned from Smoky the Bear and the Boy Scouts of America that wildfire breeds rapid forest growth – which attracts wildlife. Any wildlife professional will tell you that the bears that have not already come back will be back soon – to the Carolina Bays which they love so much – at least those who have not been hit by cars.

The Wildlife Federation and the League have been viciously assaulted as “obstructionists” when the real clowns are the leaders who were oblivious to proper planning. Indeed, there have been numerous photos taken of bear tracks (and other wildlife) on and around International Drive in recent months.

My point is that this scenario, and so many others like it, could have been avoided completely if common sense and proactivity had prevailed.

The writer lives in Murrells Inlet.

This story was originally published August 29, 2016 at 9:13 AM with the headline "Lack of development foresight is the cause of our growing woes."