Environmental group alleges Georgetown County violates Clean Water Act
GEORGETOWN COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) — Local environmental advocacy organizations are looking to take legal action against Georgetown County for allegedly violating the Clean Water Act.
Local environmental advocacy organizations sent the county a 60-day letter of intent to sue if it does not comply within that time frame.
On March 5, the South Carolina Environmental Law Project sent a letter on behalf of Preserve Murrells Inlet and Murrells Inlet Seafood.
The group included research, data, and photos alleging Georgetown County has not complied with certain permitting to prevent water pollution in the Murrells Inlet estuary for at least nine years.
“You can drive around in Georgetown County in many places and see examples of where they aren’t any of those sediment controls,” Amy Armstrong, the executive director of the SCELP said.
Armstrong said the organization has worked with Preserve Murrells Inlet for about a year documenting numerous construction site that, they say, don’t have silt fences up. The fences are put up to help prevent stormwater run-off.
Armstrong said the county is also issued federal stormwater permits but claims it is not in compliance with requirements to meet water quality standards under the Clean Water Act.
“These tools are used to help protect water quality and stormwater runoff we know is a very large contributor to water quality problems,” Armstrong said.
In the letter, the SCELP includes data from a 2023 SCDHEC Shellfish Management report.
It found run-off from construction sites is a major contributor affecting water quality in the Murrells Inlet estuary, resulting in fecal coliform being found.
“We didn’t undertake this lightly, I mean getting to the point of drafting a nearly 30-page letter, really documenting and outlining specific instances of what the permit requirements are and why we believe they’re not being followed,” Armstrong said.
Armstrong adds the best-case scenario is the county sits down with them before the 60 days are up to find a solution.
The EPA, SCDHEC, DOJ and U.S. Attorney’s Office were also included on the letter and Armstrong says each can conduct its own investigation if needed.
She adds the Clean Water Act allows citizens in communities to enforce it and is a result of how Preserve Murrells Inlet got here.
“Congress envisioned that citizens who are on the ground and who are in their communities are sometimes the best watch dogs or people that are able to see what’s happening within their own communities,” Armstrong said.
News13 reached out to Georgetown County for comment, but it declined citing county policy.
We also reached out to the president of Preserve Murrells Inlet. We did not hear back from them, only a member who was able to provide information.
Armstrong said they plan to take action once the required 60-day period expires, after May 4.
Count on News13 for updates on-air and online.
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Adrianna Lawrence is a multimedia journalist at News13. Adrianna is originally from Virginia Beach, Virginia, and joined the News13 team in June 2023 after graduating from Virginia Commonwealth University in May 2023. Keep up with Adrianna on Instagram, Facebook, and X, formerly Twitter. You can also read more of her work, here.
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