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April 13, 2005
By: Amy Souers Kober
Santee # 6 on annual list released today
(Washington, D.C.) American Rivers and its partner
named South Carolina’s Santee River as one of the
nation’s Most Endangered Rivers for 2005, citing
Santee Cooper’s reluctance to alter hydropower dam
operations that are damaging the river and the
surrounding forest. The annual America’s Most
Endangered Rivers report, now in its twentieth year,
highlights rivers facing the most uncertain futures
rather than the worst chronic problems. The
conservation groups called on state regulators to
stand up to the utility and demand that some of the
water be put back in the Santee River.
The Santee has been called South Carolina’s
‘forgotten river,’ said Rebecca R. Wodder, president
of American Rivers. With a little more cooperation
from Santee Cooper, it could be an unforgettable
river.
The state-owned electric and water utility
Santee-Cooper operates an expansive system of dams,
canals, and reservoirs on the Santee River. Under
most circumstances, the utility allows just 3
percent of the natural water volume into the Santee
River. Instead, most of the water is redirected into
the adjacent Cooper River, which empties into the
Atlantic Ocean in Charleston harbor.
With river flows significantly reduced, much of the
rich, flooded bottomland forests of the Santee River
basin are transforming into an ordinary forest of
oaks and sycamores, and many of the river’s back
channels have dried up. The Santee’s fish population
has plummeted to the point where scientists had to
examine other coastal rivers to determine which fish
species should be found in the river.
The excessive degradation of the river also affects
the state’s economy. Despite boat ramps and trails
to the Santee, fishing is poor and recreational use
is low. Outdoor recreation plays a large role in
South Carolina’s economy, and could play an even
bigger role if the Santee River was the river it has
the potential to be.
As a state-owned utility, Santee Cooper is supposed
to represent the public, said Gerrit Jöbsis with the
Coastal Conservation League. But by starving the
Santee River from its own water, Santee Cooper is
not representing the interests of South Carolinians.
For decades, the hydropower dam complex has drained
the Santee River virtually dry, as permitted by its
hydropower license-but it doesn’t have to be that
way forever. The Santee Cooper’s license for the
hydropower project will expire on March 31, 2006.
The re-licensing process will be an opportunity for
the South Carolina Department of Health and
Environmental Control (DHEC) to require changes that
will restore much of the Santee’s diversity and
richness.
In a 2002 survey, 89 percent of South Carolina
residents reported that they thought it was very
important that freshwater resources must be safe and
well protected in South Carolina. Yet despite the
values of state residents, Santee Cooper is
reluctant to return more water to the river.
During 2005, Santee Cooper will release an analysis
of the benefits of restoring flows to the Santee
River. Santee Cooper put up resistance to conduct
this study in the first place, although even a
modest increase in flows would revitalize much of
the floodplain forest, fill back channels, lead to a
rebounding of fish and wildlife populations, and
increase recreational opportunities along the Santee
River. The conservation groups called on DHEC
regulators to scrutinize the document to determine
the flows needed to restore this public treasure and
stand firm against Santee Cooper during the
re-licensing negotiation on the utility’s
environmental responsibility at its hydroelectric
dams.
The poor condition of the Santee River reflects
badly on the utility that shares its name, Wodder
said.
The outcome of the Santee Cooper re-licensing will
set the tone for future hydropower negotiations in
South Carolina. Following the Santee Cooper utility,
Duke Power, SC Electric and Gas, Progress Energy,
and Alcoa are slated to re-license 18 more dams
affecting rivers throughout the state. The
conservation groups warned that if state regulators
don’t stand up to Santee Cooper, the other utilities
will also take advantage and resist steps to restore
other rivers in South Carolina.
About
America’s Most Endangered Rivers
Each year, American Rivers solicits nominations from
thousands of river groups, environmental
organizations, outdoor clubs, local governments, and
taxpayer watchdogs for the America’s Most Endangered
Rivers report. The report highlights the rivers
facing the most uncertain futures rather than those
suffering from the worst chronic problems. The
report presents alternatives to proposals that would
damage rivers, identifies those who make the crucial
decisions, and points out opportunities for the
public to take action on behalf of each listed
river.
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