SANTEE, S.C. - Chapel Branch feeds into scenic Lake Marion near the town of Santee. A place with beautiful homes. A place for swimming and fishing.

It once was.

Chapel Branch residents earlier this year struggled with the issue of sunken construction barges that posed a threat to use of the waters feeding into the cove. The decision ultimately was made to remove the barges, exposed during historically low lake levels.

The barges were but a minor obstacle.

Chapel Branch has far greater issues – problems that dozens of homeowners have been fighting for two decades. Problems that have gotten worse as forecast. Problems that agencies, governments and politicians have failed to solve -- even address in some instances.

Chapel Branch is polluted.

It is considered by government a priority site for cleanup. The problem is water runoff from lands and roads nearby, including Interstate 95. With the water comes sediment, which has turned a once-watery creek into a many-times-dry collection of sandbars. With the sediment comes pollution that may further restrict boat movement, kill fish and make swimming less than desirable.

Residents know. They’ve documented the problems and presented the findings to anyone who’ll listen. They know about a new project aimed at fixing the problems. After 21 years of complaining and getting little to no help from town, state and federal government officials, they fear it won’t happen.

Documents from the Pinckney’s Mill Homeowner’s Association in Chapel Branch indicate the correspondence began in November 1987, when state officials acknowledged the use of Chapel Branch as a sediment retention area.

Then-State Highway Engineer Herman P. Snyder of the S.C. Department of Transportation wrote:

“We will continue to dip the silt out of this temporary retention area (Chapel Branch) until the grass is established on S.C. Route 6 and in the ditch line and slopes of I-95 where the drainage was done ...”

Twenty-one years later, no one is dipping the sediment out of Chapel Branch. It continues to build, bringing pollution with it.

“We feel like Santee’s dirty little secret,” Chapel Branch resident Joe Renew said. “The residents of this area have been struggling with these issues for so long, why should they feel any different now? They have been writing everyone from the mayor of Santee to the governor of South Carolina, senators, members of the House -- and nothing.”

Santee Mayor Silas Seabrooks said the town is not responsible for resolving the Chapel Branch sediment issues. As the landowners have been instrumental in bringing attention to the problems, he said recent developments involving the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control should help with resolution.

“DHEC is on a slow track, but it should have been done a long time ago,” Seabrooks said. “I think it should be a major thing for the town. They have been looking at it for a long time, but they really haven’t taken any action until recently.”

Directly behind the home of Renew and his wife Marilyn is an island. It is covered with debris and shallow puddles of water containing algae and occasionally oil-like substances. The Renews say the island was not in the cove 10 years ago, and they claim it is an obvious example of sediment and pollutants from the town of Santee making their way into the cove.

Director of Publications Molly Gore with Santee Cooper, the state-owned utility that is caretaker of the lake, says there is aerial photography showing the island.

“We heard there was a project to divert some of this, but it was going to cost several hundred thousands of dollars,” Renew said. “ The money is not there. The federal response was that they would assume 20 percent of the responsibility, but who that was and when, I am not sure. If everybody would take their fair share of responsibility, the burden could be lifted. ... instead of one guy or group having to pay whatever the figure is going to be.”

Sediment and pollution

To the dismay of the Renews and other residents of Chapel Branch, officials managing the project headed by the U.S. Forest Service to identify sources of nutrients and implement corrective action cannot directly link the pollution from storm water to the sediment in Chapel Branch. They have stated the sediment in Chapel Branch is not a part of their current project. The project is only focused on taking samples of runoff water that is a result of storms.

“The situation is very interesting,” said Dr. Dan Hitchcock of Clemson University, the contact that DHEC describes as the public face of the project. “The issue of sediment in Chapel Branch has been documented for a long time, and residents have reasonable and understandable concerns about this issue. The EPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) through DHEC provides funding for our project, by which we are exploring the sources of nutrients from the land within the Chapel Branch watershed.

Hitchcock said nutrients are typically found in fertilizers from agricultural activities, golf courses and home lawns and are good for plant growth in these uses -- but bad for the lake if too much fertilizer reaches the water.

“If used excessively it can run off into creeks, ponds and other water bodies, then you have algae problems. High plant growth can cause all kinds of problems in Lake Marion. It is just not a good thing if not managed properly.”

Chapel Branch is surrounded by several residential and commercial developments, vehicle service stations and golf courses. It is paralleled by I-95 and the I-95 rest area in Santee. Hitchcock, an assistant professor of biosystems engineering at Clemson, said pollutants could be making their way into the creek and cove via any or all of these potential sources, but the project team needs to focus on the storm water flows and possible nutrient sources.

Hitchcock’s team, along with project manager Dr. Devendra Amatya of the U.S. Forest Service and various members of DHEC, has been attempting to take regular samples of water in the Chapel Branch area as a part of the Section 319 cleanup grant from the EPA.

The samples, which Hitchcock says are behind schedule because of last year’s drought, are taken to Santee Cooper. They are analyzed and measured for levels of nitrogen and phosphorus.

High levels of nitrogen and phosphorus promote the growth of algae and can restrict boat movement and kill fish.

“We typically go out and take samples after a (sizable) rain. … You have to catch a rain event just right to guarantee you are getting a proper sample. You do that by hand -- called a grab sample. We have done one set of these samples, and we have not had a chance to assess the results because we need to collect more samples from several rain events.

“With our project, we are supposed to do this quarterly and we have only done one set. So we are due to do it again.”

Hitchcock said the need to obtain such grab samples is the result of a quality-assurance project plan established with S.C. DHEC’s Office of Quality Assurance.

“They have a whole template we have to follow. It is very rigid, so we really have to follow strict methods.”

The project is managed and coordinated by the U.S. Forest Service. Established in 1905, the U.S. Forest Service is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and is responsible for managing public lands in national forests and grasslands, which encompass 193 million acres.

Hitchcock describes the residents of Chapel Branch as enthusiastic about finding a solution to the problem. However, he said the residents should understand the project is not focused on the sediment in Chapel Branch.

“This project and the sediment issue are not directly connected. Our project has to do with water analysis and it does not have to do with sediment analysis at this time.”

Pollution project

The current project began in November 2006 and is scheduled to run through 2011. Local partners include private landowners, representatives from area golf courses, the town of Santee, Santee Cooper, Santee State Park, the Orangeburg Soil and Water Conservation District, U.S. Forest Service, Clemson University, the College of Charleston and the S.C. Department of Transportation.

According to Meridith Murphy, the state non-point source pollution coordinator with the DHEC Bureau of Water, DHEC randomly samples bodies of water monthly statewide. It was one of these samples that indicated high levels of nutrients being preset in the water in Chapel Branch Creek, which empties into Chapel Branch Cove.

Murphy said the current project has two phases: the first being to determine the total maximum daily load of nutrients in the water, the second to identify the largest contributors to the nutrients found in the water and implement corrective action.

It has been clear that sediment is not a part of the current project. However, according to S.C. DHEC Watershed Manager Andy Miller, it is possible that once the pollution problem is solved, the sediment issue will be somewhat resolved as well.

“Any new sediment will hopefully be alleviated in the current process. High levels of phosphorus and nitrogen are often connected with sediment issues. Dissolved sources of phosphorus and nitrogen are sources of sediment,” Miller said.

“A lack of buffers will create more nitrogen and phosphorus, which in turn could create more of a sediment buildup. So, the two can be connected, but that is not always the case.”

Dianne Curlee, education coordinator with the Orangeburg County Soil and Water Conservation District, agrees that high levels of nitrogen and phosphorus could be connected to high levels of sediment, since that is the leading type of pollution in the state and nation. But she, too, stressed that sediment cleanup or study is not part of the current cleanup project.

Curlee’s role is that of an educator -- presenting and sharing the news, science and methods of the current project funded by EPA. She has been involved with the project since it received funding in 2006. She said her role of educator often becomes the one of being educated when speaking to residents about the various issues in Chapel Branch.

Click here to view a PowerPoint presentation by Curlee on the Chapel Branch watershed.

“It’s like an onion, the more you get into it, the more you find out,” Curlee said. “You peel off another layer and go, uh-oh.”

“There is a group down there that is really not happy about the state of things, and I am glad to see that. We went down there to educate them and it was like they knew more about the issues than we do,” Curlee said.

Click here to view a presentation on point source and non-point source pollution.

2001 study In 2001, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Section 206 Preliminary Restoration Plan was completed for the Chapel Branch area involving Orangeburg County, the S.C. Department of Transportation and the Army Corps. The 2001 study found that following large rain events, substantial amounts of storm water runoff from I-95 and nearby commercial areas makes its way into Chapel Branch.

In addition to storm water, it was found that sediment was being discharged into Chapel Branch in large volumes. According to the study, the unnaturally accelerated influx of sediments negatively impacted the biological abundance/diversity and water quality in upper portions of Chapel Branch.

The study predicted algae would bloom as Chapel Branch became more nutrient-enriched and several fish species would soon cease to exist if the problem was not corrected.

The estimated cost for the project in 2001 was $424,000. The Army Corps of Engineers expected it would take more than 18 months to complete.

No action was ever taken on the proposed project of 2001, which included digging large drainage ditches, sediment ponds and installing buffers to catch sediment and nutrients. Documents from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the SCDOT suggest funds were never made available for the project.

Army Corps of Engineers Project Manager Jimmy Hadden said he has been involved with the sediment issue at Chapel Branch for quite some time after being asked by Orangeburg County Administrator Bill Clark to take a look at the issue.

“What we do is we try to discover and fix the problem and then try to restore the ecosystem back to what is was prior,” Hadden said. “... We study the project and complete a study and then apply for money with construction through our channels. If approved, we may be awarded funds to complete the project.”

Hadden said projects such as the one needed in Chapel Branch compete for funding with other environmental projects nationwide.

“If there are not enough environmental benefits, you have less of a chance of getting anything done,” Hadden said.

After completing the 206 Preliminary restoration Plan in 2001, Hadden said the Army Corps of Engineers and Orangeburg County were ready to move forward with a cost-sharing plan to fund the project. Under the plan, Hadden said the Army Corps of Engineers would have paid 65 percent of the cost and Orangeburg County would have been responsible for 35 percent.

“We wanted to go to the next phase. ... We got into doing some surveys and in 2004 we were informed by our own office that our 206 funding has been low. ... Not able to receive any funds, we just contacted Orangeburg to see what they wanted to do and the project was terminated with hopes of eventually getting the 206 program back on its feet with federal dollars.”

Hadden said the Army Corps of Engineers is still willing to give whatever help it can. But he now believes the Army Corps may not be the best agency to assist with the project.

“We have been looking at this thing for many years,” Hadden said. “I think there is an issue there. I just don’t think we are the guys to help them.”

The problems grow

Meanwhile, residents of Chapel Branch continue to beg and wait for help as the laundry list of problems in their cove continues to grow.

“All this was a problem way back then,” Joe Renew said. “So you can only imagine how bad it is now. We are really concerned. Something needs to be done about the runoff pollution and the sediment. But no one wants to talk about it. It is like no one wants to be responsible for the problem.”

“This is an ecological issue, not a recreational issue,” Renew said. “This really hinders our pursuit of happiness. ... The kids swim in this area. The fish, we have seen huge dead fish back here – nice-looking bass.”

“I don’t care what they say. Whatever comes in here eventually goes to the lake.”

The Renews said a neighbor recently stopped their children from playing in the water in the cove after the children complained about burning and irritated skin.

“Everything from Santee dumps in here,” Marilyn Renew said. “My concern is that with the more growth Santee is going to have, what’s going to really be the outcome of this? ... Santee is just continuing to grow. This thing is going to multiply by leaps and bounds.”

In a letter to Marilyn Renew dated July 21, 2008, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham wrote:

“In my response to the inquiry on your behalf, officials with the S.C. Department of Transportation provided me with the attached letter. Please know I was glad to make this contact on your behalf, and I hope the enclosed information proves to be of value. ...”

The attached response from Tony L. Chapman, P.E., deputy secretary for engineering with SCDOT, basically informed the Renews that unless dedicated funding could be identified, steps to address the sediment problem could not take place.

State Rep. Harry Ott, D-St. Matthews, was involved with attempting to find relief for the Chapel Branch residents when Santee was part of his district until 2000.

Ott wrote several letters to DHEC, residents and other parties involved. He held meetings with residents on more than one occasion.

“I went out there and what I saw was a lot of silt and debris coming on Chapel Branch and filling it up to the point they basically couldn’t get in and use their boats. The siltation at that point was a real problem. It appeared that a lot of sediment was coming from I-95.”

Ott said SCDOT recommended a sediment pond be built to prevent sediment running into Chapel Branch Creek. However, he said, funds were never made available.

“You could put in for a grant. You could go to the County Transportation Committee to get them involved. Problem is, you are competing with money we use to pave roads. It is hard to compete with a road somebody has had on the list for years and years. Those pots of money in the County Transportation Committee have not grown.”

In March 2006 the SCDOT attempted to assist by repairing an area of erosion along the shoulder of old U.S. 15/301. However, residents of Chapel Branch say SCDOT’s attempt at help only made the problem worse.

In a letter copied to Gov. Mark Sanford, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Santee Town Planner Linda Shipley and Orangeburg County Administrator Bill Clark, Tony L. Chapman, state highway engineer with the SCDOT, wrote:

“Members of our Maintenance Department reviewed the location on March 6, 2006 and noticed erosion along the shoulder of old US Route 15/301, and our local maintenance forces repaired this area on March 8th and 9th. Members of our Hydrology Department have designed a drainage structure that will eliminate or reduce this erosion until the project that the US Army Corps of Engineers is working on comes to fruition. The work to construct this structure will be let to contract as soon as funding can be identified.”

The structure now collects water, runoff and sediment as is flows downhill from Santee and spills into Chapel Branch Creek, which then empties into the back yard of Joe and Marilyn Renew.

“You should really see it,” Renew said. “They thought they were solving the problem and all they did was make it worse. Now even more water flows through, faster. I bet I could get a bunch of rafts when it rains really hard and take kids white-water rafting. One day it is dry back here and the very next day after a hard rain, we have a few feet of water and mud.”

Click here to view video footage of water and sediment rushing into Chapel Branch during a storm. 

‘Pointing the finger’

The Chapel Branch area is now in the House district of state Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter, D-Orangeburg. She offered her assistance to the residents of Chapel Branch in June 2006 after receiving a letter from Max Sparwasser of Pinckney Mill Homeowner’s Association.

Cobb-Hunter said she has since been making referrals to DHEC and has attempted to work within state government to bring about a resolution as soon as possible. She is not surprised to find that Chapel Branch is polluted with high levels of nitrogen and phosphorus in addition to sediment.

“Now that the issue of pollution has been added to it, I would like to see it cleaned up even quicker,” Cobb-Hunter said. “It doesn’t take a rocket scientist. Anybody can connect the dots. There is a reason there is a sediment problem. You don’t have to be a genius to connect the dots with the buildup of sediment and the pollution.”

Cobb-Hunter said she is extremely frustrated with the state of Chapel Branch and the amount of time it has taken to act on various issues.

“It is a resource issue and everyone keeps pointing the finger at one another,” Cobb-Hunter said. “It is difficult to find out who’s responsibility it is. The state says it is the feds, the feds say it’s the state and the county doesn’t take any ownership. Nobody seems to want to be left holding the bag. In the meantime, the homeowners are stuck while these agencies are pointing the finger.”

“I think part of the problem is that they are all so afraid of liability. It is so frustrating. I feel sorry for the property owners, but me feeling sorry for them is not addressing the problem.”

Orangeburg County Administrator Bill Clark said the county’s involvement is limited. A majority of the sediment and runoff comes from state-managed roads, he said.

“The runoff is really coming from roads on the state DOT maintenance system,” Clark said. “Those roadways are not under our jurisdiction and the lake is not in our jurisdiction.”

“We were asked about five or six years ago if we would help fund the project and we indicated we would try to assist with that. However, the project never got off the ground, so that really did not produce any kind of result that we were involved in.”

Clark said the only work he recalls being done in the Chapel Branch area since he has been in the loop was done by SCDOT.

“I recall being out there and them doing some work behind what used to be the Holiday Inn, and they did some improvements to the ditch that runs behind the road going back behind where Chapel Branch is. That is the last time I recall seeing any activity on that project whatsoever.”

Orangeburg County would be willing to listen to any proposal that either the Army Corps of Engineers or SCDOT might present, Clark said. “Our ability to participate financially would be limited.”

According to Santee Cooper’s Gore, Chapel Branch is out of the utility’s jurisdiction. Involvement with any project to provide relief would be limited.

“This is all private property in the cove in question,” Gore said. “It is outside our project boundary and because of that, our support is limited. We have a more supporting role in working with the federal, state and local entities involved with it.”

Gore said Santee Cooper’s primary concern is evaluating and analyzing any problems that can potentially affect the lake itself.

SCDOT is currently unable to verify any involvement with Chapel Branch projects, according to DOT spokesman Pete Poore.

“At this time we are still peeling back the layers to see what our involvement was with this thing if any,” Poore said. “We can’t answer any questions right now. You are talking years of documentation.”

Click here to view video footage of the drainage ditch Chapel Branch residents say is making their problem worse.

James Clyburn, 6th District congressman and House majority whip, said he has been aware of the issues in Chapel Branch since first being elected to Congress in 1993.

“This is something that has to be done,” Clyburn said. “The local community growth around Chapel Creek, Ballard’s Landing and Blackwater it appeared was causing the silting to take place in this lake. This may or may not be true, but that is something the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will have to research.”

Clyburn said that in order to seek funds for a project like this from his office, residents of the Chapel Branch community would need to petition.

“If they wish for their congressman to seek funding for this, there is only way to do this and that is to earmark the funds. If they want me to seek funds to address this problem, I would have to do an earmark. Other than that, they would have to get the president of the United States to put it in his budget.”

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