Personal Injury Attorney in Edisto, SC

WALTERBORO, S.C. (WCSC) - State regulators recently signed off on Santee Cooper’s long-term plan, including the approval of a new gas-fired power plant that would sit on the Edisto River.

The rumored plant location would be at the retired coal-fired plant Canadys Station between Walterboro and St. George.

The proposed power plant would be jointly financed and owned by both Dominion Energy and Santee Cooper.

It would also require a new natural gas pipeline, which is raising some concerns about how it could impact the nearby river and homeowners.

Southern Environmental Law Center Senior Attorney Frank Holleman says the plant would have a tremendous impact on communities, waterways and clean water on the ground.

“What really is at stake here is the property, the claim water and the power bills of the people of South Carolina. It’s really our air, our clean water and our land are all at risk,” Holleman says.

South Carolina Public Service Commission approved the project on Feb. 15 as part of Santee Cooper’s integrated resource plan.

The approval of the plant ties into the recently introduced House Bill 5118, also introduced on Feb. 15, which is an economic development and utility monitor modernization bill.

Dozens of state representatives are behind the bill, including Rep. Marvin Pendarvis (D-Charleston).

“It’s a bill that’s going to get South Carolina to a place where we’re going to be able to fulfill the energy needs of our state, especially with all the manufacturers that are coming here,” Pendarvis says.

The Southern Environmental Law Center is one organization opposing the plant and bill.

“One big impact is this large industrial pipeline will come barreling through the Edisto watershed. That will have impacts on the streams, wetlands, swamps, the waterways that flow into the Edisto and secure its health,” Holleman says. “We will not have the normal protections in place to minimize those impacts.”

Holleman says many of the nearby residents do not even know about the need for a pipeline and the impact it could have on them.

“What’s going to happen when these pipelines come through in this big plan, which is going to be five times the size of the prior one. When that gets put right there beside the Edisto River?” Holleman says.

They say the bill would rush the environmental review process and make it easier for utilities to influence the Public Service Commission.

“Normally when you have impact on wetlands, there’s a thorough review by the state and by the environmental agencies to be sure the water impacts are minimized, and that they are avoided, when at all possible,” Holleman says. “Those kinds of protections are weakened.”

Addressing environmental concerns, Pendarvis says he is continuing to have conversations and listen to environmental groups.

“What I will tell you is, it’s certainly a work in progress,” Pendarvis says. “A lot of those concerns have been heard, and those are things that I am taking with me as we go throughout the committee process and certainly debate this bill on the floor to make sure that it is as good a bill as possible.”

Pendarvis adds he signed on to the bill because it is important to look at the long-term impact of the state of South Carolina from an economic development perspective.

“In order for us to fully realize the potential where we can be, it’s going to be important for us to be able to attract the kind of industry, and to support the kind of industry that wants to come here,” Pendarvis says.

“In order for us to do that, we have to make sure that we’re doing everything that we can from an energy standpoint, to provide them with enough energy to actually operate here in the state,” he says.

It’s important to note that the proposed power plant would need permits and approvals before being finalized.

A spokesperson for Santee Cooper provided the following statement:

Santee Cooper submitted an IRP for review that includes a balanced portfolio shown by our analysis to be the least-cost, least-risk option for meeting customer energy needs. Its combination of proven natural gas technology (1,020 MW) and solar power (2,100 MW) will provide strong reliability and flexibility, allow integration of more solar power, and allow us to reduce emissions by over 50%, all while meeting continued customer growth and supporting economic development across South Carolina. And as an additional benefit to customers, we are planning to jointly build a natural gas unit with Dominion Energy SC, which will provide economies of scale that we would not get if we each built units separately.

Copyright 2024 WCSC. All rights reserved.

EDISTO BEACH, S.C. (WCSC) - A noise ordinance that has existed on Edisto Beach for several years now is suddenly sparking conversation after some people have made complaints about outside live music.

Bands play at various restaurants and bars on the beach throughout the summer, and under the current noise ordinance, outdoor live music is not allowed after Labor Day.

“At most of these places, it’s a way to entertain people while they wait to eat,” Edisto Beach resident Robbie Hogan said.

Hogan adds it’s a great way for businesses to make money.

“From basically what -- April, May, June, July, August, September -- that’s the only time you get to make money here,” Hogan said. “And after that, it’s over. So, everybody is vying for their little piece of pie, and the live music, I’m sure, helps everybody a little bit.”

Another resident, Cubby Huffines, who works right beside one of these restaurants, says the noise doesn’t bother him.

“I’ve been here when the music’s playing and it’s not that loud,” Huffines said.

The current noise ordinance on Edisto Beach allows outside live music between Easter and Labor Day on Fridays and Saturdays from noon to midnight and Thursdays and Sundays from noon to 9 p.m. This also includes adding national holidays.

“It is something that has worked and that we are continuing to enforce,” Edisto Beach’s Mayor Pro Tem Jerome Kizer said.

Kizer says this ordinance was ruled in 2016 as a compromise between business owners and residents for excessive noise, and they have had hardly any trouble getting people to follow it.

“The general public is not fully aware of the ordinance that we have in place and that we have been following for several years now,” Kizer said.

A new petition floating around from residents is offering a new idea. They want to keep live music all year round but suggests no loud noise between 10 p.m. and 10 a.m. above 65 decibels, and no noise at all within 30 feet of the beach and beachfront homes.

Kizer was asked if there was a chance this suggestion could be reviewed by the council.

“I don’t know what the opinion is of the others, but we are a council form of government and there’s five of us on council,” Kizer said. “So, they may want to bring it up. They may not.”

Huffines says he was the ordinance to be re-written.

“Music is a good thing,” Huffines said. “It brings money to the town.”

Hogan says he wants his entertainment to stay 24/7 365.

“Have a good time and play with their kids and all,” Hogan said. “And that’s what this should be about. You know, and a little bit of live music to me just isn’t a bad thing.”

Kizer says the town council will definitely not review this ordinance for possible revisions this year, but it could come again some time in 2024 if the council believes it’s necessary.

Copyright 2023 WCSC. All rights reserved.

Edisto Island might be a little out of the way, but the scenic drive down S.C. Highway 174 is definitely worth the extra effort.

An hour south of Charleston, Edisto might have that small-town feel but there’s still plenty to do and explore on this quaint, remote beach town.

That hometown feel is what lures residents and visitors alike to this barrier island year after year. A visit to Edisto Island is certain to win over any visitor, provided you enjoy a laid-back and relaxed lifestyle.

Explore

Edisto Beach: With 37 public beach access spots to pick from on the 8-mile stretch along Palmetto Boulevard, the beach is the main attraction for Edisto Island. Most of the beach access points, but not all, provide off-street parking and dune walkovers. Your four-legged friends are welcome on the beach, but there are limitations. From May 1-Oct. 31, dogs must be on a leash if they are on the beach. Dogs are allowed off-leash Nov. 1-April 30. Owners are asked to pick up their messes. Doggy bags can be found at almost every beach access. If you think you'll end up staying overnight on the island, don't forget to move your car, especially on Palmetto Boulevard. It might not be there in the morning. Parking is allowed at beach accesses from 6 a.m.-10 p.m.

Edisto Island Serpentarium: Alligators, snakes and lizards, oh my! Opened in 1999, the Edisto Island Serpentarium is the first of its kind in South Carolina. The serpentarium is dedicated to the preservation of reptiles, our scaly and slithering friends who are often misunderstood.

Edisto Island Museum: Edisto Island has a rich and deep history dating back to before the Revolutionary War. Learn the stories of enslaved African Americans who worked on plantations here and check out Civil War artifacts and the island's role in secession.

Botany Bay Plantation Heritage Preserve: One of the most popular attractions on the island is the Botany Bay Plantation Heritage Preserve. Getting there will take some effort, as the dirt roads can be a little treacherous (you'll be driving 10 mph over divots and bumps), but it's worth the journey. The destination beach features two miles of unspoiled shoreline with a "boneyard" of dead trees along the sand. At least once, try to catch the sunrise here. If you find a conch shell, leave it. You can't take anything home with you.

This past week, we celebrated Valentine's Day, which originated to honor one or two early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine. In current times, it has morphed into a celebration of love and romance, and naturally, heart imagery is a large part of it.

This week's winner is Richard Hernandez with a photo of two egrets forming a heart. The honorable mentions are Mark DeGarmo with a snapshot of a heart found on a piece of wood, and Ronald Allan Charles with an image of a heart tattoo.

Next week's topic is America, in honor of President's Day on Feb. 19.

The rules: Send your best photo to yourphotos@postandcourier.com by noon Thursday. Include your name, town and where the photo was taken. Add your name and the topic to the file. If you want your photo to be eligible to run in the newspaper, it must be at least 1,500 pixels, not have a commercial watermark and not have been published in another publication.

On Fridays, we first announce the editors’ pick of the week at postandcourier.com/yourphotos and declare a topic for the next week. On Saturdays, we publish an online gallery.

On Sunday, the photo pick of the week will appear in this section, Life.

All photos submitted will be considered for publication in The Post and Courier’s yearly magazine, My Charleston. Some images may be selected for other editorial or noncommercial use.

We reserve the right to not publish any photo for any reason.

COLLETON COUNTY, S.C. (WCIV) — Though Idalia is gone, people on Edisto Beach are still cleaning up the mess it made when it hit the Lowcountry Wednesday night.

Water is still on the road, and sand from the beaches, tree limbs, and debris cover the sidewalk. And local residents are working to clean up in the storm's aftermath.

"The area that was hit here, there aren't a lot of dunes to protect it, so it was just that influx of sand from all the rain so that created all this sand to come into the roadway," Scott Skillman, a SCDOT employee, said.

Read more: Pregnant woman miraculously survives tornado car lift in Goose Creek; 'It's a miracle I walked away.'

Pushing sand and water back is part of the process to get it back where it belongs.

"It's really an interesting process, in some cases, they will just take shovels and throw them into the dump truck, so they are going to take all the sand and put it back in its rightful place," Skillman said.

However, some areas of Edisto are not out of the woods yet.

Read more: Flood Warning issued for Edisto River; Levels could reach more than 13-ft by Tuesday.

The town is using pumps to push away high water from several side roads. And earlier on Thursday, town leaders asked people to avoid portions of Palmetto Boulevard.

That's the main drag just off the water they mentioned a lot of sand and debris that had to be cleared. Officials said Colleton County was helping SCDOT with the process. They say there's beach damage, and they are assessing the situation along with the town's coastal engineers.

"SCDOT was out there last night doing their rounds seeing where they had to scrap and what they had to do," said Heather Davis, a COOTS employee. "I don't think they could've done anything better than what they have."

COOTS bar in Edisto, the sign says they never close, but they had no choice Wednesday night. Thursday, it was back to business.

"Last night it felt like summer was gone with the hurricane," Davis said. "It felt like that was the last of it, so I am hoping that if they get things straightened up, it won't affect our Labor Day."

Edisto Island, S.C. – Junior Elizabeth Lohbauer fired an opening day, two-round score of 4-over par 144 to lead Western Carolina to seventh place after 36 holes at the Edisto Island Invitational, hosted by the College of Charleston at the par-70, 5,826-yard Plantation Course at Edisto. The Catamounts posted a 36-hole score of 589 and are just seven strokes outside of the top five.

The final round is scheduled for Tuesday morning with a 9:30 a.m. shotgun start. The Catamounts are paired with golfers from Lipscomb and William & Mary and open between the seventh and ninth holes. Live scoring through GolfStat is available through a link at CatamountSports.com.

Lohbauer carded a team-best six birdies over Monday's 36 holes, shooting 4-over par 74 and even-par 70 for her two-round total of 144 to climb 11 positions into a tie for 14th. Opening on the par-5 fifth, the Venice, Fla., native even through eight holes with a bogey and a birdie. A trio of bogeys between the 13th and 16th, compounded by a double-bogey on the par-5, 515-yard 18th left her at 5-over with four holes to play. Lohbauer carded her second birdie of the first round to finish at 74.

In the second round, Lohbauer countered a bogey with three birdies to sit at 2-under par through 10 holes. Consecutive bogeys on No. 15 and 16 dropped her back to even-par where she would finish, carding a fourth bogey with her fourth birdie on No. 2 and 3, respectively.

Sophomore Brie Mapano is tied for 20th for WCU after consecutive rounds of 3-over par 73. After a noisy first round that saw her post four birdies against five bogeys and one double-bogey, Mapano tallied 15 pars and just three bogeys in her second round for the two-round 146.

Redshirt junior Kayleigh Baker moved eight spots over the final 18 holes on Monday, following her 5-over par 75 round with a 2-over par round of 72 in the afternoon. Baker posted four birdies over the first 36 holes, three coming in the second 18. Mapanao and Baker both charted a team-best 23 pars.

Rounding out WCU's scoring five is fifth-year senior Victoria Ladd in a tie for 62nd at 153, sliding 41 positions from her first-round 73 and second-round 80. Sophomore Sadler Miller in a tie for 89th with a two-round score of 164. Ladd had four birdies on Monday, three coming in the opening round, while Miller had a busy two rounds that saw her finish with five combined birdies – two in the first round and three in the second.

Playing unattached as an individual, junior Kaitlyn Wingnean bounced back from an opening-round 85 to shoot 77 in the second round to sit in a tie for 85th overall. The Canadian-born striker posted her two birdies in the afternoon round on Monday.

With three individuals solidly inside the Top 10, event host College of Charleston leads the 16-team field by three strokes. The Cougars posted a two-round score of 564, just ahead of Georgia Southern in second with a score of 567. East Carolina sits in third at 575, with Rollins College (577) and Elon (582) rounding out the top five.

CofC's Emma Schimpf carries a two-stroke lead over Louise Rea of Georgia Southern into the final round as the two carded scores of 4-under par 136 and 2-under par 138, respectively.

The tournament concludes Tuesday with a 9:30 a.m. shotgun start.

Keep track of everything related to Catamount women's golf and WCU Athletics through its social media outlets on Facebook (fb.com/catamountsports), Instagram (@wcu_catamounts), and Twitter (@catamounts, @CatamountWGolf).

7 – Western Carolina – 295 – 294 = 589 (+29) T14 – Elizabeth Lohbauer – 74-70 = 144 (+4) T20 – Brie Mapanao – 73-73 = 146 (+6) T27 – Kayleigh Baker – 75-72 = 147 (+7) T62 – Victoria Ladd – 73-80 = 153 (+13) T89 – Sadler Miller – 85-79 = 164 (+24) T85 – Kaitlyn Wingnean (ind.) – 85-77 = 162 (+22)