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Author(s): Sammy Fretwell

Flood risks rise as federal wetlands protections disappear: SC needs help, senators told

Source(s): The State (TS)
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Now, because of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling last year, it is becoming easier for developers to fill and pave wetlands across the country. The ruling, according to some estimates, could eliminate federal protections for more than 60% of the nation's wetlands. 

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South Carolina, which has one of the highest percentages of wetlands in the southeast, is increasingly dealing with floods that could get worse if more wetlands are lost, according to environmental groups and the state Office of Resilience. Wetlands naturally soak up storm water and filter out pollution.

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"If you are filling in a bunch of wetlands, it puts communities at a bigger risk than they have ever faced from flooding," Carl Brzorad, an attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center, said

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Calls by environmentalists to protect South Carolina's wetlands dovetail with the state Office of Resilience's plan to prepare South Carolina for the effects of natural disasters. The 2023 resilience office report urges the Legislature to save isolated wetlands that it says are vital to control flooding in South Carolina.

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Hazards Flood
Themes Environment and ecosystems Governance
Country and region United States of America
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