CLEMSON – Three candidates are vying for one open seat on the Clemson City Council during balloting to take place March 31. The candidates will engage in a forum sponsored by the Clemson area chapter of the League of Women Voters at 7 p.m. March 24 at the Arts Center on Butler Street.

Following are edited responses provided by the candidates to questions posed by the League:

Background

Jeremy Wright: I’ve lived in Clemson for nine years, five in college and the last four with my family. I have a BS in Financial Management from Clemson University in 1998 and have been a banker for the last 11 years. I am a cancer survivor. My wife, Heather, and I have three children.

Christy Medeiros: My family relocated to Clemson in 2005 after living in New England for seven years. I was a resident of Clemson as a child until graduation from Daniel High School in 1994. I attended Clemson University. My most significant job experience is in the real estate business. Since our return to Clemson my family has grown to five. I have immersed myself in Clemson life and enjoy serving as president of the Moms Club of Clemson as well as chairperson of the Episcopal Days School Advisory Board..

R. Steven Fields: BS Degree in Business Management/Administration from Limestone College. I hold a biological wastewater license, a water license and a water distribution license. I worked for the city of Clemson for 14 years as chief operator at the Cochran Road Treatment Facility. I was employed by the Oconee County Sewer Commission for six years as chief operator of the Coneross Treatment Facility. I am currently employed as the Director of Utilities for Keowee Key. I served on the Clemson Zoning Board of Appeals for four years.

What strengths would you bring to City Council?

Medeiros: I am an open minded, honest, caring individual with few political contacts. I have no obligations to current or former council members. I carry leaderships skills as I have stepped up to serve as director of two organizations in town, but more importantly, I have listening and reasoning skills developed over years of working in the real estate business, supporting and promoting my husband’s small business and as a mother of three small children.

Fields: Education, dedication and the devotion to my hometown community. Strong will and desire to stand up and uphold my convictions; to make decisions that are in the best interest of the community as a whole by preserving our standard of living.

Wright: I have a passion for Clemson and the people of this community. I’m a graduate of Leadership Clemson and have served on multiple boards in this community. My time working in these organizations has given me a more comprehensive understanding of the city and its needs. I have worked to develop relationships with existing council members, department heads, city administration and community leaders. These relationships are a key element in obtaining necessary information to make the proper decisions to guide our city. I have six years of government banking experience. I have worked through six budget cycles with government clients in South Carolina.

What priorities do you have for City Council? What would you hope to accomplish?

Fields: Be the voice for the residents of Clemson. Evaluate the positions that the city is taking on the major issues and see if they are in line with the best interest of the residents and business owners. I will focus on issues of responsible growth, community service development and quality of life in our community. Ensure the tax dollars are not frivolously spent on wish lists that do not directly benefit the community as a whole.

Wright: Without deterioration of services, I will work hard to find places where we can maximize operational efficiency. Understanding the impacts of services on the annual budget and finding opportunities to cut costs is the council’s fiscal responsibility. Identifying potential budget impacts and being proactive in recommending adjustments to deal with those impacts. I will continue to emphasize the Buxton Study results and encourage continued solicitation of those targeted businesses. I will also encourage more regional partnership with the Clemson Area Chamber, Alliance Pickens, the Upstate Alliance and Clemson University to find opportunities to market our community to new business. I will explore broadcasting City Council meetings through TV, radio, or streaming video broadcasts.

Medeiros: Look, listen, then lead! I want the council to spend more time looking around our town. Noticing the changes that have taken place in the last several years and really consider what has been accomplished. Beautification efforts can make us all proud of our town and many have proved beneficial. What, however, is the value of an unused sidewalk? Consider the fate of the Food Lion. Are we ready for yet another grocery store in town? Listen to what the citizens are really looking for and listen to those who plead for the protection of their neighborhoods and their investments in their homes. Zoning is a citizens only hope for protection. Make decisions after looking and listening. Do not come into an issue with a decision already made. Allow yourself to be open to the minds and hearts of your citizens.

How would you balance the desire for commercial growth with the need to protect the quality of life and neighborhoods in Clemson?

Wright: We are a retail and rooftop economy. We are not an industrial economy. Proactive recruitment of business gives us a voice with developers and could result in more control of those opportunities. Working as a resource to regional economic drivers, can capitalize on recruiting employees and senior management to live in Clemson, even if their company isn’t located in the city.

Medeiros: We must recognize the need for commercial maintenance. We need to support and do our best not to compete with what is currently here and attempt to fill commercial properties that lie vacant. We must also question the town’s desire for growth and where, how and when the residents want it. Jobs are not locally dependant. It is possible to work in another town and live in Clemson. I think it is important to focus on keeping jobs we currently have. In the private sector, avoid saturating our city with similar type businesses. If we are looking for the creation of new jobs we need to focus outside the box a bit.

Fields: To be proactive in current zoning codes and restrictions to new and existing ventures. Balance … We need to fill current commercial vacancies and make these locations desirable for new ventures as well as existing business, so we do not have neglected, unimproved and unoccupied buildings. The owners of current unoccupied locations should be made to maintain them so they would be desirable. I am for a win-win situation and balance for businesses and residents.

Affordable housing is a big problem for nonstudents who work here and want to live here. What ideas do you have for providing more affordable housing for lower to middle income singles and families? What role can city government play?

Medeiros: The problem lies with thoughtless build out. The proactive response to this problem is to require a certain percentage of a new development to be affordable. I have seen this done and have been impressed with its success. I am sorry to say that we have passed up this opportunity too often.

Fields: Our biggest problem facing the city is that developers are building more and more units geared toward student housing. Each time a new complex is brought into service, the students rush to get in the new buildings. The older buildings are then vacated and begin to run down. The City should look into means of rehabilitation for these older dwellings and provide affordable housing for individuals and families. Projects of this nature would certainly be beneficial toward providing jobs and stimulating our economic growth.

Wright: We need to consider zoning to allow more dense residential development thus spreading the land cost over more units to enable affordability. We also need to review our impact fee and tap fee structure to balance affordable development versus stress on city resources. Planned development is currently limited to projects of two or more acres. Reducing the planned development restrictions to projects of half an acre or more would allow for more planned development and could have an impact on density and housing prices. Residential TIFs could also serve as a viable option to reduce housing costs

. How can the city be more proactive in encouraging energy efficiency and environmental responsibility?

Fields: The City should have a system whereby inspections are made either annually or bi-annually and incorporate a rating so that each individual rental property receives this inspection. The rating information would be given to owners of complexes or individual units who meet certain criteria. These criteria should be based on safety condition of unit, energy efficient heating and cooling systems and water closets, which use less water than conventional toilets.

Wright: We need to make sure city projects model the energy efficient designs and practices that we expect from the private sector. We also need to implement a comprehensive energy and environmental policy to incorporate energy efficient practices. We can also encourage other municipalities and water districts that use our watershed to mirror our conservation efforts.

Medeiros: The town does show interest in environmental friendliness, and I don’t think a major change in attitude is needed here. In general, council must be constantly keeping an eye on environmental changes and stresses locally, such as water usage and restrictions and by keeping up to date on currently available tactics – including the rebate suggested by our own local elementary and junior high school students with regard to the purchase of new toilets. Continuing to promote parks and outdoor recreation and keeping green space for our children is a great way to encourage green behaviors.

What is your opinion on the possible acquisition of the “Astro”?

Wright: Unless there is a clear plan to replace the taxes paid to the city by the current owners and provide an adequate return on investment, it is best to leave the development of the Astro to a private party.

Medeiros: To be honest, I don’t have much of an opinion with regard to the Astro. I recognize the Astro’s history in this town and if private citizens wish to attempt to protect it, they have my blessing.

Fields: The condition our economy is in, in these uncertain times, really requires some soul searching. Do we really have the funds to add this to the city’s wish list or do we look at other projects that may be more conducive and beneficial to our economy’s growth?

There has recently been some discussion of how to award contracts. In your opinion, what weight should be given to the low bid, and what, if any, other considerations should be taken into account?

Medeiros: Whenever a decision is being made with taxpayer money, the council must be willing and ready to fully disclose their reasoning and must also be willing to abstain from voting when a possible conflict of interest is being considered. I think equal weight should be given to bid, locality, quality and consistency of a contractor. A score should be given to each of these criteria.

Fields: Awards for contracts should not be based on low bid alone. Other factors must be considered such as references for similar projects. How long has the company been in business? How many change orders were necessary on the last similar project? What percentage of completed projects this company has already done, have come in on or below budget? Over budget? Finally, what type of reputation do the bidding companies hold?

Wright: Contracts can become very complex and many factors, not just cost, must be considered. There are times when the lowest price has unfavorable terms in certain clauses of the contract related to early termination, remedies of default and scope of services.

The town and university have joined to offer mass transit to the area. What are your thoughts about the successes, failures and future of the CAT system?

Fields: In the future, I would like to see continued growth with local routes for our residents, while continuing to work with surrounding communities.

Wright: As long as the Federal support remains, the future of the system is bright because of the impacts CAT has on the environment, road congestion and our regional economy.

Medeiros: I worry that the bus system is a bit out of scope with its purpose however and hope that the town continues to weigh the needs of our community with the abilities of small-scale public transit. It is important to stay within our means. Growing to include communities like Westminister for example, may not be in our best interest.

If stimulus funds become available for Clemson, how would you suggest these funds be spent?

Wright: My ideas for stimulus projects include: Additional CAT buses, adding another right of way across the railroad to connect Clemson and Calhoun, fire substation on Issaqueena, potential free clinic beside Clemson Community Care and continued Nettles Park renovation. Funds also could be used to purchase or up-fit the Clemson Marina to get the marina compliant with the Corps of Engineers standards and reinstitute delivery of all marina services. Stimulus funds could be used to provide seed funding for a convention and visitors bureau, and completion of the proposed pedestrian bridge on Berkley Drive near Clemson Elementary:

Medeiros: I would approve areas of most need such as poor roads and bridges and money for our schools. I would like to see money going to improve safety of pedestrians walking or biking to the elementary school and other areas, I would like continued efforts in parks and recreation.

Fields: I would suggest some of the funds be used for rehabilitation of our aging infrastructure.

Incoming search terms for the article:

• Jeremy Wright Clemson
• Green spaces for sc
• Is clemson marina closed?

Related posts:

1. SC Gop gov Candidates Talk Natural Gas COLUMBIA, S.C. — The four Republicans running for governor of...

Michelin North America wants to change that.

The Greenville-based company is sponsoring the Michelin Green X Challenge Award, debuting at today’s 12 Hours of Sebring race in Florida.

The Challenge will hand out an award at each American Le Mans Series race this year, said Silvia Mammone, motorsports and sponsorship manager for the Michelin brand. The award will be offered in both the prototype, or specially designed and built cars, and the GT, or basically street cars, division.

The Challenge, a “race within a race,” uses a system ranking all cars according to the amount of energy used, the amount of greenhouse gases (GHG) emitted and amount of petroleum displaced. Argonne National Laboratory, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency , the Department of Energy, SAE International and the ALMS created the system used to calculate the criteria during each race.

Michelin has been involved in the racing series for years by providing tires for many of the teams — nine in 2009, she said.

The series was recognized by the EPA, the DOE and SAE International in January 2008 as the only motorsports entity to meet all their criteria for green racing. Each car competes with one of four “street legal” fuels — E10 gasoline, cellulosic E85, sulfur-free diesel fuel or gas-electric hybrids, Mammone said.

“Stretching fuel in competition wins races,” said Scott Clark, chief operating officer of Michelin Americas Small Tires. “Lowering fuel consumption for consumers stretches wallets at a time when saving money and saving the planet are both top concerns.”

Also, participating in the series “is a great way for us to showcase the technology we have in racing,” Mammone said. “Those technologies transcend racing to help consumers.

“By measuring and assessing new technologies in the heat of one of the most competitive racing series worldwide, government agency officials and manufacturers hope to speed the development of new energies and technologies for anxious and increasingly receptive consumer markets.”

At the end of the series, the overall winner will be determined on the basis of points. Each vehicle will be given the maximum number of points per race and then points will be deducted based on the criteria for the awards. The team with the lowest number of points will be the overall winner of the Michelin Green Challenge.

Michelin Group created Challenge Bibendum 11 years ago as a showcase for clean vehicles. It also created the Michelin Energy Endurance Challenge at the 24 Hours of Le Mans three years ago. Last year, that award was extended to all European-based Le Mans races.

The company also has a line of Green X tires, designed to increase fuel efficiency in passenger cars and light trucks.

By Jenny Munro • BUSINESS WRITER

No related posts.

“This is truly an honor, but it is a partnership between the faculty, staff, students and the recycling team,” Holland said.

In 1990, state legislation asked all state agencies to reduce refuse collection by 25 percent. The college used the request to enhance its existing recycling efforts by extending challenges to faculty, staff and students. Using posters, individual and divisional awards and recognition efforts, the college was able to reduce the cost of refuse pick up by 50 percent within the first three years of the campaign.

“The college has made waste reduction a priority for many years,” said Dale Wilson, physical plant director. “We’re finding ways to improve our efforts each year,” he explained.

Wilson pointed to Holland as the driving force behind the institution’s successful waste reduction efforts.

“Brenda successfully negotiated contracts to place recycling collection dumpsters on campus and has helped the college secure a number of recycling grants over the last 13 years,” explained Wilson.

In 2008, Holland’s efforts resulted in more than 58 tons of recycled goods, including 38.75 tons of paper goods-an amount that has increased substantially over the last three fiscal years-and more than 12 tons of electronic equipment.

As a result of Holland’s continuing commitment to promoting the importance of recycling, her program receives 100 percent participation from faculty, staff and students at the college.

Holland expanded the program to promote the use of leaves, grass and limb clippings as mulch for use in beds and eroded areas. She also implemented cost-saving measures to ensure that the program will remain sustainable by identifying and developing relationships with vendors who are able to provide pickup services free of charge.

“Brenda’s commitment to continuous improvement has led to an expertise that has been recognized throughout the higher education community,” said Dr. Ray Brooks, president of PTC. “Her willingness to implement innovative new strategies, her dedication to improvement and her impressive results make Brenda Holland an excellent choice for the DHEC Recycling Professional of the Year.”

“The college is very fortunate to have a person like this to initiate and maintain our recycling program,” said Wilson. “Many initiatives have been put in place in the past 20 years and the success of the program can be attributed to Brenda’s dedication and knowledge of the recycling process.”

Posted by:  www.Gwdtoday.com

No related posts.

Seneca was recognized in the category of municipalities with less than 20,000 people.

“Our recycling program is not mandatory, it’s voluntary,” said Mayor Dan Alexander. “We asked people in our community to take part and try to help. This award speaks well of our residents’ and businesses’ willingness to take part in our recycling program. I’m so proud of all the hard work by the city staff that went into receiving this award.”

In the past year, 44 percent of the solid waste collected by the city was recycled. Also the city recycles approximately one ton of cardboard each day.

“I think it speaks well of the residents and businesses, because they take time out of their day to sort and separate things simply because it’s the right thing to do,” said Mark Krabbe, sanitation, recycling, motor pool, and streets director for Seneca.

Seven employees work in the city’s sanitation and recycling department. Seneca is running daily residential collection routes providing curbside collection for garbage and recycling.

“This is a great award, and it shows how the community pulls together to do the right thing by reducing the garbage in the landfill,” said city administrator Greg Dietterick. “But I can’t say enough great things about our folks over at the recycling department and what they do every day that we take for granted. We can’t do that, because they do so much for this community and keep our standard of living up so well. We’re very proud of what they do, and they deserve congratulations.”

Krabbe said, “We recycle cardboard, plastic, paper and mixed paper. We separate it. We take a recycling truck and drive through the streets. As we pick up garbage, we also recycle. We separate it on our truck and then deliver it to the county landfill. The county processes it and sells it. That helps cover some of the cost of solid waste in the whole county.”

Seneca is part of Oconee County’s solid waste plan, and Krabbe said the county deserves a lot of credit for making this award possible.

“We work closely with the county and they play a big part in our ability to provide the services that we have,” Krabbe said. “The other cities in Oconee County also have excellent recycling programs. We all work closely together and provide back-up to each other when needed.”

He also said, “Recycling will save us some space in our landfill and makes the landfill last longer and these items get reused, we recycle them, they get reprocessed, and they get reused.”

The state’s annual awards program allows the health department to recognize the top recycling programs and projects, as well as to thank people who work hard to make recycling a success in South Carolina.

By: Chad Dorsett/WSNW AM-1150/Special to the Independent-Mail

Incoming search terms for the article:

• greg dietterick
• recycling program seneca sc
• reuse recycle reduce oconee sc
• Seneca SC landfill address
• seneca SC recycling center
• where is the seneca sc landfill
• where to take trash in seneca sc

Related posts:

1. South Carolina joins states’ push to recycle electronics South Carolina joined an increasing number of states Thursday when...

By: Angelia Davis • Greenville News Staff Writer

Wal-mart will employ hundreds of people with the opening of its supercenters in Laurens and Union counties.

Amy Wyatt-Moore, a spokeswoman for Wal-mart Stores, said both the Laurens and Union stores were discount stores that have relocated to Supercenters.

The two expanded stores will officially open at 8 a.m. Wednesday at 922 E. Main St. in Laurens and 513 N. Duncan Bypass in Union.

According to a company statement, the Laurens store will employ 320 associates, including 140 new positions created with the relocation. The Union store added 160 new jobs and will have a total of 300 associates, the statement said.

Moore said people wanting to apply for a job at one of the stores should do so at the individual stores. She said a majority of the associates have been hired, but applications are still being accepted.

The stores are among the first to feature Wal-mart’s new layout, store design and logo.

Each new store is designed to make shopping easy for customers, with features such as wider aisles, a bright interior color palette, lower shelving for an improved sight line and directional signage on every aisle, the company said.

Barry Medford, manager of the Union store, said the layout of the stores is “easy to navigate, which will save our customers time as they shop for everyday necessities.”

The stores also include energy-efficient technology and environmentally friendly features to reduce energy and water consumption and minimize waste, the company said.

Both new stores have a full line of groceries, bakery goods, deli foods, frozen foods, meat and dairy products and fresh produce, more than 30 merchandise departments, a pharmacy, hair salon, bank and a Wal-mart Connect Center.

The Laurens store also contains a McDonald’s restaurant and is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The Union store will be open from 7 a.m. to midnight, seven days a week.

As of February, Arkansas-based Wal-mart employed 27,130 associates in South Carolina and operated 63 supercenters, eight discount stores, nine Sam’s Clubs and two distribution centers.

Incoming search terms for the article:

• walmart lake wylie sc
• Walmart lakewylie S C
• new walmart lake wylie sc opening date
• walmart stores sc
• walmart in lake wylie sc
• walmart in lake wylie sc opening day
• walmart jobs lake wylie sc
• walmart locations in lake wylie sc
• applications for new walmart super center lake wylie SC
• walmart open positions/greenville

No related posts.

By: By Julie Howle • Greenville News STAFF WRITER

Community input being used to help shape the future Nalley Brown Nature Park means the space could boast amenities from walking trails to educational exhibits.

The Nalley Brown Nature Park is planned to sit on about 38 acres on Adger Road near State 135, and a small group of people gathered at a community meeting Tuesday night to give feedback on ideas for the park.

“We think it’s going to be a great addition to the Easley community and a great educational opportunity for the citizens and school kids,” said Rick Huffman, owner of Earth Design, the group creating the master plan for the park.

Huffman said the vision for the park continues to evolve and said input from surveys and community meetings are a part of helping shape the plan.

Amenities that were brought up at the meeting include having educational signage along walking trails, observation areas and information on native plants, porous pavement, rainwater collection or other ways to have less of an impact on the environment.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity for people in the community to learn how to be environmentally friendly, taking things they can learn at that park back to their own yards,” said Cynthia Bunton, chairwoman of the Nalley Brown steering committee and a guidance counselor at West End Elementary.

Easley City Council members voted in 2007 to annex the land, which was formerly owned by the Nalley Brown family and was given to the city in 2006.

City Councilman Dave Watson suggested one central building with restrooms and other possible features to help make the project economically feasible because fewer structures will make maintenance easier.

Huffman said people who responded to the community survey ranked walking trails, picnic shelters, benches, parking, educational exhibits and an outdoor amphitheater among the top amenities.

Teachers who were surveyed ranked educational exhibits and an environmental education building at the top and also requested natural ecosystem displays, lecture halls, laboratories, and local and native plants, animals and history.

Huffman said the master plan is expected to be finished in June and will be used as a tool to get more grants, donations and funding.

He said those involved don’t have a timeline for when the work can start on the site and don’t have an estimate for how much will need to be raised yet.

“As we become more urbanized, places like Nalley Brown Nature Park will become green oases in the urban footprint,” Huffman said. “I think there’s an opportunity to teach land ethic values, to teach the values for the land as it is.”

Another meeting about the Nalley Brown Nature Park is planned for March 30 at 6 p.m. at City Hall.

Incoming search terms for the article:

• rick Huffman Greenville SC

No related posts.

By Nathaniel Cary • TRIBUNE-TIMES WRITER • March 18, 2009

Earlier this school year, a dedicated group of students interested in recycling started a drive to recycle phone books at Mauldin Middle School.
Advertisement
Quantcast

It was part of the school’s second-year recycling program that started small but quickly built into an everyday routine for teachers and students.

Students competed by classroom to bring in the most phone books, and the school collected more than 4,500. The drive went so well that students began recycling batteries.

Then they collected old shoes, more than 150 pairs, which can be chopped up and reused as rubber mulch on playgrounds and tracks.

Their efforts did not go unnoticed.

The school was rewarded by the state Department of Health and Environmental Control, which named Mauldin Middle the state’s Recycling School of the Year.

Mauldin Middle’s recycling program started in force after Santee Cooper and Laurens Electric Co-op donated a solar panel that sits in the school’s courtyard. The panel provides electricity to power about two classrooms and has become a teaching tool and reminder to students that alternative energy solutions are available.

Gwendolynn Shealy, a seventh-grade science teacher who heads the recycling program, said the solar panel, named “Cooper,” redoubled the school’s recycling efforts.

“Having that at the school pushes them to understand that we have other sources of energy available. They’re going to have to solve these problems in the future that we have with our energy dependence on oil,” she said.

Now the school has a recycling group, the Go Green Group, that meets monthly to promote and plan recycling drives.

“It’s a group of people who want to change the Earth and want to help the environment,” said eighth-grader Kristina Nelson.

Each classroom at Mauldin Middle has a green recycling container for paper, and the Go Green Group collects the paper weekly. The school celebrated America Recycles Day and is planning activities for Earth Week in April.

“And if you’re a teacher, the kids will get on to you, too, if you throw something in the trash can,” Shealy said.

Seventh-graders Aaron French and Jake Delverde said students have caught on, especially when they’re offered prizes.

“You interest them with a prize, and so they get interested and it’s just an easy way to get them to start recycling,” French said.

The school added the state award to a 2008 Greenville County Solid Waste recycling school award, which Principal Rosia Gardner said reinforces to students that recycling is worth the effort.

No related posts.

By: WYFF

ANDERSON, S.C. — Home sales are suffering under the economy, but one Upstate builder said his sales are skyrocketing.

The Upstate company based in Greenville builds a different kind of home — one company representatives said will end up saving homeowners money.

There are already some EarthCraft homes in Greenville, and there’s one being built in Anderson.

At 77 years old, Bill King said he’s ready to settle down, so he’s building his dream home in the Alston Oaks subdivision.

On the outside, it may look like any other house. But his builder said it’s the first one of its kind in Anderson.

“A home like this will not only help me financially or anybody that buys this house in the future, but it’s going to be better not only for that, but the environment, as well,” King said.

His home is EarthCraft House-certified, which means it’s built to be energy efficient.

EarthCraft uses better insulation. Air sealing the house really tight will save money, said builder Allan Oliver, of Addison Homes.

“For instance, this house is 3,000 square feet,” Oliver said. “Historically, we’ve had about a $100 a month on energy bill.”

Read the rest of the article here.

Related posts:

1. South Carolina joins states’ push to recycle electronics South Carolina joined an increasing number of states Thursday when...

Upstate Forever and four other environmental groups are appealing a project to replace an aging water main in Greenville County, saying they want to protect wildlife habitat and recreation areas.

Greenville Water System says the appeal means the project will be delayed and may end up costing more as a result.

The state Department of Health and Environmental Control issued the water system a permit to put a new 42-inch water main from Table Rock Reservoir 7.8 miles to a pumping station off Pumpkintown Road, said general manager Lyndon B. Stovall.

The two existing 30-inch mains were installed in the 1930s, and one has ruptured several times, he said.

“It’s important to upgrade the infrastructure, and part of that is transmission lines,” he said.

John Tynan, co-director of Upstate Forever’s Clean Air and Water Program, said that because the main would cross at least 26 waterways and three wetlands, it’s important the permit language is clear so its conditions can be enforced. As it stands now, he said, some of the language is ambiguous.

The groups also worry that because one of the old 30-inch mains will be left in place, the water system has the ability to increase its draw from the reservoir by 50 percent, Tynan said.

And it’s also asking DHEC to restore stream monitoring in the South Saluda River to ensure adequate flow for aquatic life and for fishing, boating and other recreational activities, he said.

“Construction activities, if not done properly, have the potential to degrade habitat for a number of rare and important species,” he said.

“South Carolina has less than 200 miles of trout streams left. Historically, we had 2,000. We want to make sure we don’t lose the last remaining vestiges of trout water we have.”

Stovall said he thought all the concerns were addressed in the permit. The water system has agreed to reduce impact on the environment and won’t pull more water out of the reservoir, he said.

Leaving the second main in place allows the utility to use less energy to pump water, he said. He added that the project should have been under construction by now and it’s hard to say whether the delay will affect the estimated $18 million cost.

Also appealing are the Sierra Club, Save Our Saluda, the South Carolina Native Plant Society and the South Carolina Wildlife Federation.

DHEC spokesman Thom Berry said that if the board agrees to hear the case, it would be at an April 9 meeting.

Incoming search terms for the article:

• Greenville Water Systems General Manager Lyndon B Stovall
• make upstate home page

No related posts.

Related posts:

1. South Carolina joins states’ push to recycle electronics South Carolina joined an increasing number of states Thursday when...