It was meant to provide future generations a “genuine opportunity to appreciate and enjoy the rich heritage of our Nation”. The landscapes that hold pieces of our heritage are at the foundation of holding the memory of place.

An important foundation in the law, section 106, requires consultation with local communities through a public process, on federal projects or projects where federal dollars are used. It is at the local level where the fabric of communities are impacted and consultation provides a mechanism to foster collaboration and avoid regrettable destruction of historic resources.

Murrells Inlet has a Historic District that is unknown to many new residents. The district was nominated by a group of local residents and prepared by Mary Watson, John Wells and Suzanne Pickens for the national register. On September 25, 1980, Charles E. Lee, the South Carolina Preservation Officer, signed the certification.

What happened next was a firestorm of opposition by county officials who claimed they had not had any consultation on the matter. When the community recognizes the importance of historical resources they took the steps to bring them to the attention of the state Historic Preservation office.

Why it was not supported by the county government for nomination, explains much about how Murrells Inlet has struggled to get the support it needs for things that matter to local citizens. The Murrells Inlet Historic District includes the last stretch of land that has stood as a testimony of the fishing village of Murrells Inlet’s place in time before. What was once seen by locals as standing the test of time, with local families history, is now a fading memory and new development is calling.

The rich heritage of Murrells Inlet and the estuary itself are constantly changing. As the next chapters unfold in the years ahead, the historic district will remain. Other historic sites have yet to be recognized and there is a push by the present administration to ignore these important landscapes and change the laws governing historic preservation and 106 consultations.

These proposed changes will limit public participation and public input and take from the citizens the ability to have a say in the longstanding process of speaking up for historic sites.

A public information meeting was held October 27, 2026 at 6 PM at the Georgetown Library.

According to the information provided at the forum, the Senate is scheduled to vote on November 9, 2026.

Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act of 2026 on the surface sounds like a great plan in the efforts to streamline permitting. Section 106 changes will eliminate public input on Federal Projects and these reviews have historically been how many historic sites have been found. Without the reviews and public process, these sites and local knowledge will never be heard and more sites could be destroyed.

The longstanding confusion over Historic Preservation and requirements where federal funds are used has been left to continue. The fact is, if no federal funds are used these reviews are not required. Land owners and developers may be required to have reviews, only if their projects require federal permits.

We know our coast has many undiscovered archaeological sites and the coastal zone does require federal permits. The process does not stop development. What it does is allow for reviews and if historic resources are found, projects can be adjusted to avoid disturbing or impacting historic resources.

Many archeological sites have been found through the 106 review process. It does not stop development. It helps us uncover our history and understand the places and people here and how sites were used or abandoned over time.

Call your senator and ask them to vote no on 106 rollbacks in this legislation, so we can continue to tell the story of the past and keep preservation alive.

Learn more at 106strong.com

The Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce & neighboring jurisdictions representatives along with citizens groups showed up for Murrells Inlet in 1966 to support the jetty project and all tide access out of the inlet and the head and charter boats of earlier times.

Fifty five years ago in 1971, the Murrell Inlet Community Council met with officials from the SC Department of Health, SC Pollution Control Authority, and the SC Wildlife Resources Department at the Murrells Inlet School. Before the Clean Water Act was signed into law on October 8, 1972, people in Murrells Inlet were working to discuss pollution problems in the creeks and marshes in the estuary.

The benefits of all tide access out of Murrells Inlet are well documented. With such a long history of residents concern over water quality and the protection of the oyster harvesting in Murrells Inlet, the road to protecting water quality has seen much less progress. What remains is the problem of pollution and the closure of oyster harvesting areas that were the impetus for the development of the Murrells Inlet Watershed Plan, which I worked on from start to finish from 2012 to 2014.

What has not happened is implementation of the watershed plan by Horry or Georgetown counties and the decline in water quality and closure of oyster harvesting areas shows it. Why does water quality in Murrells Inlet continue to be ignored when we have had a plan since 2014 to restore and improve it?

Anyone that says the water quality is declining because we need to dredge 16 plus miles of tidal creeks, is pointing at a reason to ignore sound stormwater regulations that were required under the Clean Water Act. Ignoring decades of guidance from the EPA on watershed planning and thresholds of land use capacity is the science we need.

Since 2008 county government is not invested in solving water quality issues in Murrells Inlet. Instead they point to the volunteer water quality monitoring program as their educational requirement under their stormwater permit. The recent settlement reached with Georgetown County and the formation of a new committee to focus on the issues is a good start. Permit compliance is the solution.

We need to dredge Murrells Inlet. What we also need is leadership that does not ignore the obvious issue to point towards false solutions. We need leadership that works to address failing water quality and invest our tax dollars in the infrastructure Murrells Inlet needs. Murrells Inlet has been the golden ticket for county coffers and leadership matters so we get our fair share.

Recent changes requested to stormwater regulations by Georgetown County Council, highlight a key failure in representation for Murrells Inlet, which is why my history and understanding of the problems would benefit all of Georgetown County. I have worked on water quality related issues for years.

I know the neighborhood and am ready to work for you!

My opponent is too busy to have a candidate forum with me. I will be speaking at a community forum on October 7, 2026 and all are welcome to attend and learn about me.

My opponent supported a 64 inch outfall into the prime oyster lease areas of Murrells Inlet.

My opponent stalled the adoption of the Natural Resource Element to the Comprehensive Plan for over 2 years that was approved unanimously by the Planning Commission that I served on. 96% of residents support natural resource protection.

The Planning Commission version of the 2022 Natural Resource Element called for exploring the adoption of a Green Space Sales Tax. It was removed because the county had plans for 2 other sales taxes. One of these new sales taxes is on the November ballot. If this new tax passes in 2026, there cannot be another tax added under state law until one expires in 2033.

We are connected to the creek and we need to work towards viable solutions to protect the lifeblood of our local economy. Local businesses deserve better! Our estuary deserves better! So do our residents and recreational users, our shrimpers, crabbers and shellfish harvesters that all depend on improving water quality in our creek.

I am a petition candidate for Georgetown County Council District 1 because the people of Murrells Inlet deserves to have representation that understands our unique and special natural resources and listens to the citizens and businesses to work with them to solve problems and plan for the future.

Learn more about me and join our campaign at www.SandraBundy.com

Be intentional with your vote and lets get Murrells Inlet the representation it needs.

We need to dredge Murrells Inlet. Boating access to the creek is a major driver of our local economy and always has been. Years ago, when I worked at our family marina, one of our biggest challenges was getting the head boats safely in and out of the Inlet for a day’s fishing in the Atlantic.

Before the jetties were constructed, we had to schedule trips by the tide in order to navigate the shifting sands at the mouth of the Inlet. (Low tide was not the time to be trying to cross the sandbars!) The jetty project made safe, all-tide passage possible between the estuary and the ocean.

The main federal channel in and out of Murrells Inlet does get dredged and has been dredged in recent years. Other creeks and marina basins have in the past been dredged by marina owners under their own permits and with their own money.

When the jetties were built, Georgetown County was responsible for obtaining an upland spoils site as part of an agreement with the federal government. The county signed a 50-year lease for an upland spoils site that it never built. Although that lease was not set to expire until 2027, the county let the property go some years ago and it now holds condominiums.

Right now we have a $35 million plan for dredging the Inlet and placing the spoils a half-mile off Huntington Beach State Park. Such an inshore disposal site within a half-mile of the beach has never yet been permitted in South Carolina. Nor has anyone planned dredging more than 16 miles of tidal creeks to depths that will dramatically change the marsh’s ecosystem.

No question, we need to dredge a number of shoaling creeks in Murrells Inlet. We also need to know how to effectively dredge to improve navigation and water quality without doing lasting or irreparable harm to the nursery of our offshore fishery, our oyster harvesting areas, live oyster reefs and the marsh itself, which protects us from worse storm surges.

Georgetown County has approved another $750,000 for the necessary studies on the areas of oyster beds and salt marsh that will be lost during the dredging project, and for the additional surveys required to get permits for the near-shore spoils site.

My opponent in November’s election for Georgetown County Council and I differ on the dredging of Murrells Inlet. The current plan for 16+ miles of dredging will mean that we suck the essential bottom-life of virtually all the creeks out with the mud. The estuary is essential fish habitat and the massive scale is cause for concern.

According to Dr. Dennis Allen, retired longtime director of the Baruch Marine Field Laboratory and an estuary expert of world standing, the spoils from the planned dredging, if piled up on the 2-acre parking lot of the Murrells Inlet Public Boat Landing, would create a “mud skyscraper” 23 stories tall.

This is what would be spread five feet thick, a half-mile off the beach, and presumed to just stay there. Dr. Allen also cautions that scouring the bottoms out of 16+ miles of saltmarsh creek could disrupt and degrade the natural life of the marsh and its nursery functions for “decades.” I do not believe that any of us want that. But we all need to understand the consequences this project could have.

I believe we can effectively use tax dollars to create viable, safe solutions for necessary dredging in Murrells Inlet. Science must play a vital role, and that science is absolutely available to us. Restoring our estuary, improving water quality and safe navigation to support area businesses and recreational users of our creek needs to happen. And it can happen only if we make the best possible plan to dredge, while maintaining the health of the creek.

I am running for County Council District 1 in Georgetown County because Murrells Inlet needs leadership that understands the issues and is willing to work with the community towards making responsible science based decisions.

Murrells Inlet means the world to me. Having your vote on November 3, 2026 would too. Learn more about my campaign.

In June of this year after much thought and encouragement from people in my community I decided I would collect the signatures needed to get on the November ballot in District 1 in Murrells Inlet. I was humbled by the flurry of volunteers going door to door to get the required signatures and each signature confirmed I had made the right decision.

People are hungry for change and they also know that local decisions impact us everyday. The overwhelming support for change is real. The pushback by those who do not know me and fear change is real too.

I don’t have a party letter to carry me to victory in November. What I do have is the sincere desire to help move things forward for everyone. I have been working for positive change for decades. The momentum is building and with your support we can make a difference here.

Murrells Inlet has been left out far too long. We have many challenges that need thoughtful consideration for finding solutions. When you elect me on November 3, 2026, you can count on me to work with you and for you.

Learn more about my campaign

Together we can make a difference!

Interesting issues are playing out all over local communities in Horry and Georgetown Counties. For years residents have been alarmed by the rapid pace of development and more recently approvals for new development. What used to be a good sign for a growing community has now become a sign of ignoring it and the new setup is even worse. The label to demonize growing louder is NIMBY - Not in my Backyard!

Not in my back yard is the arrow being slung at anyone that dares to speak up against development that is creating serious issues in real life. Rather than addressing increased flooding, traffic and safety concerns, the fallback position is given an insulting label and a good dose of - “if you don’t like it buy” it rhetoric.

For far to long, residents have seen the disconnect, and lives with the consequences of out of control growth. There is nothing normal about it but there is something predictable about labels and name calling rhetoric. It happens so often, some people don’t take the time to think about what is being said, who is saying it, or why.

NIMBY is the easy cure. Instead of seeking balance and solutions, residents are seeing anything but. Outdated planning that promotes growth at any cost is a problem. If the destruction of quality of life, increased degradation of water quality and natural resources our communities depend upon is constantly met with name calling, we are in real trouble for finding solutions.

Until we elect leaders who understand the concerns and are ready to make changes for the better of all of us, we will not find the solutions we desperately need in any back yard. Our backyard matters and we can make the difference.

Appreciating the beauty of the estuary and the land surrounding it has never been enough to protect our creek. Federal, state and local laws have not either. When local actors make decisions that impact land in the watershed, the holding capacity of natural landscapes is diminished. Cascading downstream impacts become someone else’s issue when water is a common enemy. Instead of stewardship of the land and waters, when stormwater programs ignore the impacts to the estuary it becomes a place for piped dreams.

Water runs through the landscape finding its natural path downstream. Development alters the watercourse and removal of the landscapes ability to filter pollutants and absorb into thirsty ground. What happens after development alters the landscape is being felt across our watershed to varying degrees and is causing new harms we have not fully recognized.

The work around water as a common enemy was stormwater controls.

Murrells Inlet did not get stormwater regulations until the stormwater program was enacted in 2008. The pre-existing conditions in the Watershed were in place long before the program was established and a funding stream for improvements began. The old ditches and water courses that flowed to the estuary to drain the land were all that was historically here. Impervious surfaces were minimal back then.

According to the Center for Watershed Protection waters become impaired when impervious surfaces cover 10% of a watershed. Today we are reaching the 25% impervious threshold.

The disconnect between what matters is not tied to new development where the plan is to pipe new polluted stormwater into the estuary. This short sighted plan to use the creek as a big stormwater pond is not the answer our estuary needs. If we want to restore water quality it is going to take more than silence on the issue.

If municipalities are held to a higher standard of care where drainage is concerned, and the creek is getting the polluted runoff, the county is held to a higher standard of care and must do better before we can no longer fish and swim in our creek.

A big clue to how officials disregard estuary health showed up a few years ago, with the Georgetown County Master Stormwater Plan. It was hailed as a major accomplishment and cost taxpayers $750,000 and some additional costs were added prior to it being completed. For Murrells Inlet, the plan said there were no “low cost solutions”.

The Murrells Inlet Watershed Plan already mapped the watershed here and the 80% required reduction in stormwater loadings were in the way of increasing development in the watershed. The build out under current zoning and the projects for Murrells Inlet do not address the water quality issues.

Instead the plan was a 64 inch outfall pipe into the estuary in an area that remains open for commercial oyster harvesters. The community remained unaware of the plan for the pipe and once again highlighted the lack of support for estuary health or implementation of the watershed plan.

The stormwater master plan was counting on ignoring the estuary and building out by piping polluted stormwater into the creek. The plan didn’t address the problems impacting Murrells Inlet and essentially gave up on improving water quality. New residents are often unaware of the issues here and it is extremely important that watershed education and best practices be implemented. Water monitoring is a requirement of the permit. It is up to residents to check water quality.

It is extremely frustrating to see officials ignore our estuary and plan to pipe stormwater into it when ocean outfalls are being installed to move stormwater out of Hog Inlet so they can reopen oyster beds.

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The amplification phase of the lunar nodal cycle began in 2024-25 and will continue for 18.6 years and are showing up locally by way of higher and lower tides. More recently all that people are noticing today is low water levels that are used as a big reason for dredging over 16 miles of tidal creeks in the estuary.

What isn’t being explained is the part of natural lunar nodal cycles. Educating the public on natural lunar cycles is not a high priority for putting the low water people are seeing in context. It might be inconvenient to wait for the tide to flow in for boaters to get on the water but it has always been how we have navigated our creeks. While lower than normal tides are getting all the attention, it is the higher tides that are likely to cause more disruption and damages.

From a planning perspective, this is an important issue to watch. How our communities prepare for the higher tides that are projected as part of the normal lunar amplification will be showing up soon enough. How the dredging project will impact the tidal amplification remains a big question that needs to be understood as part of the required studies for the project.

In the meantime, watch out for the sand bars at low tide and boat safely.

Last month Georgetown County Council passed a wetlands protection ordinance in a 4 to 3 vote that left some on county council wanting more information before adopting the final ordinance. After years of meetings and workshops and reducing the original proposed buffers in the ordinance the split vote seems more education is needed on wetland values for county councilors although the evidence of wetlands loss is showing up as growth is impacting all our natural resources in unappealing ways.

The importance of our natural resources to the citizens of Georgetown County for years have shown overwhelming support for protecting them. In 2022 I was on the Planning Commission that unanimously passed the Natural Resource Element of the Comprehensive Plan. What happened when the measure went to County Council for adoption has a direct line to how the voice of the people has been ignored by elected officials when County Council voted to defer adoption of the element for 2 years and stripped important goals from the originally approved plan.

The community driven process for updating the Comprehensive Plan elements and the goals that came out of the process showed the community had goals of protecting the nature around us. What got stripped away by county council left questions about who made the changes and why. The delay by county council left natural resources to continue to degrade along with trust in elected officials. Ignoring citizens input and aspirational goals of the community for its natural resources has been long denied by elected officials.

While public efforts continued to get the natural resources protected, the planning commission didn’t agree with how county council changed the plan and watered it down by claiming they were not responsible for ensuring oyster harvests would continue in Murrells Inlet. Land use is the leading cause of degradation in the estuary. It isn’t hard to understand unless you choose to ignore the facts.

The planning commission found the courage to stand along with residents, something county council is failing to do. This year the planning commission once again stood up for protecting wetlands and did not delay approving passing the wetland protection ordinance along to county council any longer. These delays by county council cause continued losses of natural resources that our local economy depends upon.

Residents already see and understand what has been happening here. Long time residents also know the county inaction on the comprehensive plans developed years ago have lead to increased costs to taxpayers. They see the flooding urbanization causes. They know restoring degraded water quality remains a major issue for our local estuaries and the solutions will remain elusive as long as elected leaders ignore the best science and the voices of citizens.

What has long been ignored in planning and in practice are the best practices for solutions to rapid development that also offer relief to residents in lowering cost of flood insurance. I’m not sure why county councilors fail to understand these benefits help residents. If they did, the split vote when the wetlands ordinance was finally passed last month could have landed as the victory for wetlands that everyone can appreciate.

The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) comes with benefits for participating communities and floodplain management providing opportunities to build better and markedly improve community resilience. The cost savings for flood insurance for residents is just one benefit of this worthwhile program yet stronger building codes were getting pushback from Georgetown County cloaked in the need for affordable housing, when those that need it, are far from the wealth it takes to build a home in the floodplain.

The fact that Georgetown County has aging infrastructure coupled with increased flooding causing homeowners pain ignores the obvious. The unintended consequences of siloed approaches to planning that doesn’t incorporate measures to improve community resilience isn’t lost on me. For the years I served as a planning commissioner for Murrells Inlet it became apparent the disconnects were a problem and those remain with us today.

Connected to the Creek - Murrells Inlet Film shows more awareness than decision makers want to see. The voices collected over 2 years of the project continue to raise concerns about how we develop in our watershed. While public input is a normal part of meetings, they result in little to no course corrections, leading to major frustration for those impacted as a result of thoughtless decisions.

The disconnect continues and ignoring the forest, trees and the nature we are fortunate to have had along the coast is suffering as we ignore the mutual benefits of holistic planning with the community. Taking over 2 years to pass the natural resource element was a clear sign the community and nature are losing. When the resident county councilor deferred adoption it became more apparent, our community was not top of mind. Murrells Inlet deserves better.

While Murrells Inlet council representative claimed the need to update the land use element was the reason for the delay in passing the Natural Resource element in 2022, most people know that natural resources are moved by development and the delay proved costly for the resources 96% of residents say are most important to them.

Tradeoffs remain unexplored and minimal regulations for new development are a far cry from where we could be had there been real discussions and solid planning for our future. Cascading impacts of rapid development in the Murrells Inlet watershed show up with each water quality monitoring report as more land is cleared and filled to rise above neighboring properties when we all know water runs downhill and outfall to the creek.

Last month citizens cheered as Georgetown County Planning Commission passed the Wetlands ordinance. Imperfect as it is, something is better than nothing. For a county that has long known the need to minimize flooding and protect water quality the track record for pollution in estuaries dismal.

A majority of wetlands on the Waccamaw Neck have already been impacted by poor planning and profits are more important than protection. On July 16, 2026, the Planning Commission will review a zoning change to increase density beside the last remaining wetland in Murrells Inlet.

For now a complete zoning update is planned to move forward this year increasing density in many areas, adding insult to injury for the natural resources we depend upon. Opportunities to do better remain as long as we can find the mutual benefits of nature instead of continuing to ignore them.

Ten days ago I made a decision to run as a petition candidate for Murrells Inlet County Council District 1 as an Independent Candidate. Collecting the required signatures has allowed me to reconnect with lifelong friends, their friends and families who are ready to support change.

Volunteers are out connecting with people too and the one thing that is becoming clear is our community is willing to work to make it happen. As I reflect on these past few days, I can see that change is possible and people here are hungry for it.

Like me, people love Murrells Inlet and the people are ready and willing to pull together to make change possible. Change that listens, understands and is willing to work together and be the voice to build a future that is better for all of us.

If we haven’t had the chance to get your name on the petition yet, send and email to SandraBundyforCC@gmail.com to get your signature and have a choice on the ballot in November.

Your support would mean the world to me and together we can do it.

Engineers are working hard to bring the dredging project to life while residents concerns grow over how much this project would damage the estuary. Georgetown County Legislative Delegation along with Councilor Clint Elliott called out federal regulators holding up the project.

Making a false argument the federal government was holding up a project where it was the county (applicant) that had not completed the required studies after multiple concerns were raised about the project reveals an interesting lack of seriousness about a project that will forever change the estuary. Exactly what “needle moves” are they asking of Senator Lindsey Graham and Senator Tim Scott? Environmental regulations are in place to protect our estuary. No interventions are needed.

If they are requesting a pass on regulations that have been in place for decades, that is a real problem. We already know they are ignoring water quality in the estuary. The fact that some dredging might help improve it remains at odds with the narratives they want us to believe.

What is more troubling is the push for a dredging project in the estuary, does not address the needs for beach placement in Garden City nor does it address the how the problems were created in the first place. There seems to be no concern about the price tag estimated to be $35 million.

The real concern from residents is more about estuary life in the tidal creeks that were recently discussed at the Murrells Inlet Creek Talk.

The ‘serious adverse environmental impacts’ are being ignored by those in the room who created the Master Dredging Plan for Murrells Inlet. Committees have been planning a project while the public remains in the dark about the plan. For permits through the Corps of Engineers, local interests develop these plans and apply for permits.

The problem is nobody seems to know who dreamed up this plan and why. There are tradeoffs that will impact the estuary and our community deserves to understand what they are and to be able to come up with a well thought out plan for the continued health of the estuary. Right now, boating at all tides in tidal creeks is the only concern being addressed by this massive project.

A serious plan for the Murrells Inlet estuary goes well beyond dredging and at this point there is not one. For the time being, decision making bodies can point fingers at other entities lines of authority, while the estuary as we know it, continues to suffer the consequences of unserious actors.

Good stewardship is the key to balance for the estuary.

The upper left is 2014, right is 2017, lower left is 2022 and lower right is 2024. Over a ten year span the erosion is self evident on the outlined marsh area. There is also a remarkable loss of the point of Garden City where new homes were approved for building in 2020. From the looks of the loss on the point, it seems some of the sand has washed towards the outlined island. What is also clear over the 10 year span is the loss of salt marsh on the island.

It would be more interesting if there were before and after when coastal storms hit the area. During the 10 year span, we had several. We also had a dredging project in the mouth of the inlet that removed sand and placed it on the Huntington Beach State Park side and building up a nesting site for the birds. Sometime soon, I might get curious about that site.

Beaches move and roll over as long as there is no hard infrastructure like bulkheads in the way. They are not present on the inside of the beach area where new docks have been permitted in the last few years. That is a good thing as far as we know about bulkheads and wave action being detrimental to salt marshes. The influx of sand seems to be impacting them regardless.

Many areas of the Grand Strand have never planned for dense development. Keeping people out and letting people in has a long history here. Affordable housing requires higher density and it also requires coordinated planning. In our area, we don’t have that. What we have are political taking points that go nowhere along with blame shifting to demonize.

The siloed approach to planning is mostly a creature of the state. Do you know why the term NIMBY is used here to point a finger at people who are giving honest assessments of the problems that have been created because of poor planning? Deflection is not a cure. Traffic congestion is creating serious issues every day.

Have you ever wondered why we bother with traffic studies when our roads have long been given failing grades? Growth is the cure and higher densities on the Waccamaw Neck will help fill county coffers while they have limited responsibility for state owned roads. The comp plan of years ago called for connectivity that we never have been able to realize.

Have you considered why massive storage facilities line our commercial corridors in Murrells Inlet? Planned and gated communities do not allow storage buildings, regulate fences, trees, lot sizes and what you can or cannot park in your yard. Invaluable commercial sites are used to hold our stuff and we have to drive to get it.

Using Murrells Inlet specifically as an example, I see clearly why people are concerned about increasing densities. The estuary is being degraded by rapid development. There are no leaders in either county that abuts it, with an obligation to protect water quality, concerned about the shared connection of their decisions to the outcomes we are seeing as our estuary continues to degrade. Adding more pavement at the Horry County entrance to Murrells Inlet is surely going to add untold amounts of polluted runoff into Rum Gully Creek. That is a transportation committee and they have a stormwater permit of their own.

The Grand Strand never planned for housing or a transportation network for the people that live and work here to be able to live near where they work to support the tourism industry that has been a focus of the region for decades. They never planned for a network for regional public transportation and for safe pedestrian infrastructure that would take cars off the roads. One only need to look at local budgets to see how little we have invested in these networks to see the disconnect there. Instead roads are planned to bring more traffic to congested roads, while claiming the millions they intend to spend will solve it.

Local leaders and planners do not concern themselves with the parking regulations in place and the lack of it that clogs the roads with cars to get to Murrells Inlet. Once here cars clog roads circling for a parking space and other clog the roadsides with parking that creates danger for pedestrians. The planning for the overdevelopment they approved did not include attention to right of way parking regulations either. Noncompliance is ignored for parking lots too and the landscape requirements that would help protect water quality go unenforced.

Residents concerns over the harm being done to the estuary by ignoring the watershed plan is a problem. Instead of NIMBY, how about stop destroying it! Using the watershed plan as a prop of imaginary compliance with stormwater permits, without focused implementation is telling. County planners say it is not their responsibility to concern themselves with estuary health when it is land use that is degrading it. It is all connected to the siloes they choose to stay in when plans are approved and the land stripped of life to pave over wetlands that contribute to degradation downstream.

Residents concerns over increasing densities here are all about watching planners ignore the ecosystem that is a major economic engine, just as the beaches that drive the tourism economy of the Grand Strand wash away in coastal storms. The lost focus just to get people here to vacation and failed consideration of those who live, work and play here should be better.

Georgetown County will unveil an updated zoning plan this year. We already know it will increase densities. The county will also likely work towards reducing parking minimums and push hard to add more rooftops while they promote higher densities as a path towards affordable housing. Increasing densities, without providing solid transportation plans for moving people and giving them space closer to where they work is likely to remain the status quo. Increasing congestion will remain a mystery.

If planners and local leaders would give water quality and connected ecosystems consideration, and enact holistic planning as a cure, our local communities and the places we treasure will finally see meaningful change. Maybe then our entire community will have a connected place to thrive.

It is great to know the county is banking funds for the next disaster that we know will strike us at some point. It is also good to have the great team at Georgetown County Emergency Service Division, who are among the best in the state.

With the explanation by the Administrator behind us, it is a good idea to take a look at two key words - “responsible governance”. I don’t think anyone can argue that being good stewards of taxpayers dollars is what we can all applaud. What remains unclear is what has been done to improve Murrells Inlet water quality and how much it is going to cost taxpayers to remedy the situation.

It is also a good time to ask, what actions have been taken by the county to advance the goals in the Resiliency Element of the Comp Plan that was adopted by county council in 2023. Three years have passed so lets take a few minutes to review the goals and track the progress.

Because Murrells Inlet was rated as least resilient in the county, we are seeing this number 1 issue and the number 1 action item has NOT been realized. When by its own announcement to explain building up funds in case of disasters, why has the number 1 recommendation not been addressed by county leaders?

Several other recommendations notable to the need to build community resilience and help avoid costly disaster spending include -

Several announcements have been made about tracts of land being preserved, which is great for protecting nature. What isn’t happening is the top short term action item to enhance natural resilience and undeniably important for the Murrells Inlet estuary.

Responsible land use and responsible use of public funds go hand in hand. It’s been 3 years since the Resiliency Element was adopted, yet goals that can help our estuary and the great community in becoming more resilient remain words on paper.

Taxpayers funded and participated in the development of the Comprehensive Plan and all the elements. So far the only short term goal of the county is to adopt new zoning from the updated land use plan, while ignoring meaningful action items that could truly help save taxpayers money.

Exactly when are we going to get to the part about responsible governance to goals of the Resilience Element, remains unclear. The future for building resilience for the estuary is passing us by.

It should cause everyone a moment of clear thinking. Pumping dredging spoils from 16 miles of creeks to an offshore spoils site off of Huntington Beach State Park, should concern everyone, included local officials. The permit is now being rushed because they don’t want to complete the most basic evaluations so regulatory agencies will not be blamed for not doing a proper study.

Another thing they are missing in the push is the reasons the low weirs are no longer functioning to capture sand. Sea level rise is waving at them and they have been in denial so long, they can’t see the problem.

Putting an offshore disposal site a half mile off the public beach that may contain polluted spoils isn’t a wise thing to rush. If this was going off Garden City Beach, I’m sure all those homeowners would be concerned about what might come to the beachfront and pollute it.

Because it is going to Huntington Beach State Park, there is no homeowner to raise questions. The state has a lease on it and if that portion of the beach sees mud wash ashore after a storm, there would not be a bunch of angry homeowners confronting the agencies or the officials, who are rushing a project that needs plenty of scrutiny.

What is not talked about is the fact that the jetty was approved prior to the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972. In addition, alterations in the Murrells Inlet estuary had occurred without permits and prior to the SC Coastal Zone Management Program that was not formally adopted until 1977.

We can only hope that regulatory agencies do the right thing and ignore the political bluster that can forever change the estuary. The Murrells Inlet Watershed Plan called for spot dredging to improve water quality in some areas while the plan has remained ignored for over 10 years. Remarkably, the state program is also meant to protect water quality, which by all accounts Georgetown County is failing when it comes to Murrells Inlet.

Instead of considering why the Inlet is silting in the plan to spend $35 million or more to dredge all creeks that will need ongoing dredging to keep to the new depths planned is missing critical findings to inform sound planning for such a major endeavor. The 2019 study and rational for the amount of spoils that will be dredged is likely underestimating the amount of spoils that will be removed given the numerous storms including Ian in 2022 that sent floods much higher than they had been in recent memory.

It is interesting to note that lawmakers today are concerned about polluted sludge being used on farm fields yet they ignore the decades of polluted runoff that has undoubtably entered the creeks that they now are rushing to dredge.

When you ignore the impacts on the estuary from over washes that have occurred in the upper reaches in Horry County that washed beach sand into the creeks during Hurricanes, nobody is the wiser. When you ignore causes of siltation such as the hard structures that line the shorelines and the damage of boat wakes on oyster reefs that protect the salt marshes it is easier to rationalize with an unknowing public.

Mariners in Murrells Inlet have always waited on and worked the tides. Prior to the jetty project it was a major safety issues for all the larger head boats that used to take trips offshore.

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Dredging has always been challenging in Murrells Inlet. At 1.5 miles wide and 5 miles long, dredging over 16 miles seems a good enough reason to understand if all the dredging they are pushing to get approved will do more harm than good.

Lots of people think the pace of growth and development is out of hand in the context of land in the watershed. What isn’t considered much in the discussion is the magical waterbody of our estuary. My concern has long been that we are crossing critical thresholds for estuary health that is a direct result of the lack of consideration of the wonderful natural resources in our creek.

On my mind today is how narratives being put into the public domain seem to be incorrectly used to justify the wholesale destruction of the estuary by dredging over 16 miles of creeks. The reality of tides in the creek needs a bit of a revival if our creek is going to remain the magical place we know and love today.

The latest example - was recently stated to a room full of participants at the Legislative Breakfast, sponsored by the Georgetown County Chamber of Commerce

“We have got to dredge Murrells Inlet or it is going to become a mudflat”?

I respectfully disagree!

Maybe science would like a word. Every hear about tide charts? I thought our local representative knew better than that but apparently lots of education remains needed. It is an obvious misstatement and the record of dredging here has never been as excessive as what is planned nor has the costs or the consequences of doing so been weighted against the benefits.

Maybe a public hearing is needed to clear the record? If mudflats are the reason to justify all the dredging there is a host of reasons to understand how misguided the project has become. Dredging sixteen miles of creeks, without a full restoration plan backed by costs and benefits should be presented for public discussion. There is a reason for state and federal regulations when it comes to environmental destruction because once its gone its gone.

The benefits of tidal mudflats and salt marshes for coastal resilience are better understood today than in the past. Ignoring the cost of free services provided estuaries while seeking to unnaturally manipulate small creeks with no water at low tide is a short sighted. Nature-based solutions are indeed real and beneficial and included in the Natural Resources Element of the Comprehensive Plan.

Right now, Horry County is forever changing how much water the northern end of the estuary will receive and removing trees along the drainage is going to significantly impact water temperatures that we know are rising along with seas.

When leaders shape misguided narratives, it becomes important to look to history, and equally important to look to science and data. Without doing so, we are missing opportunities to better support estuary health for decades to come.

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The Murrells Inlet estuary was once revered as worthy of protecting. When I was growing up, we had fishing boats that took out passengers for full or half day trips. There were many john boats too, that for the most part were slow in speed and fishing the creeks for substance was a time of solace. Those days are long gone and today the estuary is showing signs of wear and the promise of the Clean Water Act and supposed Conservation Preservation zoning has proven to be meaningless.

A few weeks ago this letter to the editor sums up the fact that the estuary does not have a voice of its own and it is up to us to speak up for her.

Ms. Olinick clearly sees what many long time residents do, which is to say, we love our estuary. She also states a fact that we can no longer afford to ignore - “The inlet does not have a voice of its own.” It is our voice that needs to speak up!

It has me wondering how I speak up for our estuary and why isn’t it resonating with the thousands of people that live here? Everything is not fine out there and the more we love it to death, the less a future generation will have to remember how it once was a wonderous salt marsh, worthy of protection.

Our local history is built around the health of the estuary. If we fail her, we are failing ourselves.

Another sign we are failing came out of the Post & Courier and gets right to the point.

“Agencies, communities and individuals must change their perspective from being masters of the environment to becoming stewards of it.”

We all have a voice to speak up for and take care of our Creek!

A Wetlands Ordinance will be a great start but as the county prepares to adopt the ordinance, a lack of funding could hamper real protection. The problem is, many wetlands have been filled and destroyed. For years wetlands have been ditched to drain them dry but the soil knows and the water table will continue to show up as sea levels continue to rise. We need to understand where and how the water flows and many remain uninformed on the science of these irreplaceable ecosystems.

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The rush to the coast is one of the areas where trying to find data on risks is widely available, although it is not so easy to find without knowing where to look. Land development, clearing and filling is a big problem. Working against nature is only going to work so long. We wouldn’t need to buy answers if we took the time to look at how we arrived here.

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History has a fine way of showing us the way if we take the time to think about things unfolding in places we love. For me, the estuary is the heart of the community and watching it decline is heartbreaking.

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