Environmental and Public Works
SCDOT Roadside Herbicide Spraying
Several residents reached out regarding the SCDOT herbicide spraying on our roadsides. WILPC's environmental chair, Mike Regan, provided the Coastal Conservation League (CCL) with WILPC's 2015 communication to SCDOT regarding community concerns of the herbicides used and perceived carelessness of the spraying on Wadmalaw. Here is the report from CCL's meeting with SCDOT in Columbia, SC on August 20, 2019.
"CCL met with several staff from SCDOT including Chief Engineer for Operations, Andy Leaphart, and State Vegetation Program Manager, Jennifer Gruber. It was a good start to a dialogue and we were encouraged by the agreement in the room that openness and transparency will be key in outlining a path forward.
We did learn that there is no further spraying scheduled for Wadmalaw or Edisto this year. The herbicide spraying this season was part of a two-step process with the goal of clearing brush and vegetation from around the bridges in order to allow bridge repair and maintenance projects, which are on the way. In the past, SCDOT has used Garlon 4 – an herbicide that cannot be applied near aquatic environments – to treat right-of-way on Maybank and other roadsides. Until this year, they could not go beyond the bridges for this reason, but this time they also used Garlon 3A, which allowed them to target vegetation they had not been able to reach before. This led to the alarming and unsightly “brown out”. They are going to be mechanically cutting the dead vegetation, but that will likely occur after Labor Day to minimize impacts to traffic.
SCDOT is interested in better forms of communication with communities, and they would like to improve their ability to get accurate information out there and work with residents to address concerns. In light of this interest, we floated the idea of a small group of community members and stakeholders they could work with to provide information and field questions. We will be working to flesh this idea out more and welcome your insight on it. Thank you so much for your hard work so far!
Thanks again for your dedication to protecting Wadmalaw in all aspects"
"CCL met with several staff from SCDOT including Chief Engineer for Operations, Andy Leaphart, and State Vegetation Program Manager, Jennifer Gruber. It was a good start to a dialogue and we were encouraged by the agreement in the room that openness and transparency will be key in outlining a path forward.
We did learn that there is no further spraying scheduled for Wadmalaw or Edisto this year. The herbicide spraying this season was part of a two-step process with the goal of clearing brush and vegetation from around the bridges in order to allow bridge repair and maintenance projects, which are on the way. In the past, SCDOT has used Garlon 4 – an herbicide that cannot be applied near aquatic environments – to treat right-of-way on Maybank and other roadsides. Until this year, they could not go beyond the bridges for this reason, but this time they also used Garlon 3A, which allowed them to target vegetation they had not been able to reach before. This led to the alarming and unsightly “brown out”. They are going to be mechanically cutting the dead vegetation, but that will likely occur after Labor Day to minimize impacts to traffic.
SCDOT is interested in better forms of communication with communities, and they would like to improve their ability to get accurate information out there and work with residents to address concerns. In light of this interest, we floated the idea of a small group of community members and stakeholders they could work with to provide information and field questions. We will be working to flesh this idea out more and welcome your insight on it. Thank you so much for your hard work so far!
Thanks again for your dedication to protecting Wadmalaw in all aspects"
Road Maintenance Information
County roads
843-202-7600 or submit a County Work Request
SCDOT roads
843-740-1655 or submit a SCDOT Work Request
County roads
843-202-7600 or submit a County Work Request
SCDOT roads
843-740-1655 or submit a SCDOT Work Request