Public works committee OKs $100,000 river study
It's a question that will cost Columbia County $100,000 to answer: Is any pollution being added to the Savannah River along the county's banks?
A Columbia County Public Works committee recently gave tentative approval to a request of $100,000 for a study of the Savannah River to determine whether the county contributes to pollution in the river. County officials say they do not believe pollution is occurring, but want conclusive data on the matter.
Photo by Jim Blaylock
County officials say they don't believe such pollution is occurring, but at the request of the Southeastern Natural Sciences Academy, members of a county public works committee recently gave tentative approval of the funds for such a study.
"Taking a pro-active stance to this is better than a reactive stance,'' County Commission member Diane Ford said at an April 11 public works committee meeting.
Billy Clayton, Columbia County's water and sewer director, said that if the funding is ultimately approved by the full board of commissioners, the county would pay Southeastern Natural Sciences Academy to conduct the study during the next three years, with $33,000 going to the academy each year of the study.
County commissioners said April 11 that they supported the study because they said there are no data on the stretch of river from Columbia County to Richmond County.
"I think this will go a long ways later on,'' Clayton said.
The study also will include the stretch of the Savannah River down through Richmond County. Richmond County officials already have approved $300,000 for their part of the study. Meanwhile, Clayton said, the Southeastern Natural Sciences Academy has asked for $100,000 in funds from Aiken County, $75,000 from North Augusta and $25,000 from Edgefield County for the study.