In 2013, Friends of the Edisto (FRED) had to challenge the State's issuance of a water-withdrawal registration on the South Fork Edisto River which in times of drought would allow as much as two-thirds of available flow in the river to be removed by one farm for crop irrigation. The large withdrawal of water was granted to Walther Farms (potato farm) in Aiken County.
The "Spirit of the River" event returned to Givhan's Ferry State Park on Saturday, August 13th. FRED was happy to work with the South Carolina Paddlesports Industry Association to bring back this opportunity to share the beautiful Edisto with paddlers, tubers, swimmers, and river lovers of all descriptions.
The Edisto River means so much to so many. The beautiful account below from adventure writer Spencer Martel articulates so well the peace and the restorative qualities that bind our people with our River.
First of all, I want to shout out a special thank-you to the many folks who responded to our “action alert” about the SC House Ag Subcommittee hearing yesterday, May 6, on H-3564. These marked our first two FRED action alerts and we really appreciate all the great response.
Individuals representing the South Carolina Farm Bureau and the agricultural business community are saying that "sound science" is the basis of both the 2010 South Carolina Surface Water Withdrawal Act and a recent water-withdrawal registration granted to an Aiken potato farm. Some agricultural leaders are saying there is no problem with the new surface water law and it needs to be given time to work.
The flawed definition of "Safe Yield" within the State Surface Water Withdrawal Act is described by the South Carolina DNR in their comments to DHEC dated Sep 26, 2011.
