FROM THE COVER ture, coupled with rapid land development, increased the amount of storm runoff to already stressed drainage systems.” The report went on to mention both Hurricane Harvey’s impact on Texas and Louisiana and Hurricane Florence’s impact on the Carolinas, noting that although the storms “will be remembered as hurricanes, in many cases it was the intense rainfall that brought urban areas to a standstill, overwhelming homes and transportation arteries with flood water.”
Accelerating development near major rivers and lakes, and even in some of those protected headwaters, can adversely affect the quality of our waterways for a generation or even longer.” -Frank Holleman, senior attorney, Southern Environmental Law Center Heavy rains are only projected to get worse. In the southeast specifically, the amount of rainfall during heavy storms has increased by 27 percent since 1958, according to an Environmental Protec-
tion Agency report. That same report notes the area is expected to see increases in “humidity, average rainfall, and the frequency of heavy rainstorms” moving forward. Echoing those predictions, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration specifically noted in South Carolina’s state summary that “extreme precipitation is projected to increase.” The increased rainfall comes as South Carolina, and the Upstate in particular, see ever-expanding urban development. That development, by its very existence, destroys an ecosystem’s natural stormwater management system, replacing natural green space with impermeable surfaces like concrete and pavement. The scale of the development is often hard to grasp, according to Erika Hollis, clean water director with Upstate Forever, a Greenville-based conservation nonprofit. For comparison, every single day in the Upstate the amount of land paved over for development is equivalent to all of Haywood Mall — and that’s including the mall’s parking lots as well, according to a report from Upstate Forever. Within the next two decades, the report notes, the development footprint in the Upstate will have doubled, with new paved areas accounting for an area larger than all of Spartanburg County. And the majority of this growth, Hollis said, is projected to be within Greenville County. Beyond the visual impact of trees and nature being paved over, development expansion has far more unseen consequences, which can multiply throughout the
Pictured: Water rushes over Reedy Falls in downtown Greenville during a storm on Feb. 5 | photo by SHERRY JACKSON
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entirety of the water system. Hollis said even seemingly insignificant waterways, like tiny creeks or streams, are instrumental in enThe amount of land paved over for development is suring a healthy water system. Every- equivalent to all of Haywood Mall thing is connected, she said, and even if one small creek is paved over, the entire natural flow of the water can be interrupted. Because Within the next two decades impermeable surthe development footprint of faces like pavement do not allow rainwathe Upstate will have DOUBLED ter and other fluids to absorb back into Total new paved areas are the soil, stormwater projected to account for an area runs off the land at a larger than Spartanburg County greater volume and higher velocity than it naturally should. natural wooded areas and vegetation The problem is exacerbated by the along waterways on either side — prepollutants present at the development vent banks from caving in and causing itself, like fertilizer, pesticides, pet waste, sediment runoff during heavy rains. heavy metals, litter and sediment — the (The city of Houston, in response to latter of which is especially dangerous, the intense flooding from Hurricane Hollis said, because carcinogenic parHarvey, is in the process of impleticles attach themselves to sediment. menting similar “green stormwater “The water picks up all that stuff, infrastructure” like green roofs, rain washes it into the nearest river, and gardens and permeable pavement.) when it rains heavily you can cause the The city already requires stream bufbanks to cave in, leading to flooding, fers beyond state and federal requirewhile carrying all those pollutants at ments, while the county discussed an the same time,” Hollis said. ordinance in 2018 that would have Given the gushing water of the Reedy mandated all new developments near River during the most recent storm, “kaylarge watersheds leave 100 feet of bufak guy” might have more things to worry fer along waterways. Despite the orabout than just breaking a city ordinance. dinance being tabled due to financial concerns from developers, Hollis is “AN URGENT NEED TO ACT QUICKLY” optimistic the report from the Reedy Despite their concerns, both Hollis and River Water Quality Group will be a Holleman remain hesitantly optimistic. strong argument for increased buffer Holleman can point to many successes zones as a part of the Unified Developin the past few decades: the protection of ment Ordinance process next year. the Table Rock Reservoir and North Sa“I think elected officials are really startluda Reservoir; the devoted efforts by loing to reflect the views of the community cal stakeholders to clean the Reedy Rivresidents who are more and more coner; and the greater public involvement in cerned about environmental quality, environmental issues as a whole. water protection, open green space and “But I also feel there’s an urgent need to overall quality of life,” Holleman said. act quickly,” Holleman said, noting that If he imagines the best-case scenario, unless proper action is taken, unimpeded what Holleman sees is a ribbon of green development could wreak irrevocable snaking through the developed land of havoc on Greenville’s water systems. Greenville. Wherever a river or creek Independent groups are already taking flows, so too grow healthy wooded areas heed of that urgency, according to Hollis. and habitats along with it, he said. The Reedy River Water Quality “Not only would we have that sensible Group, of which Upstate Forever has way to manage our stormwater so we been a participant for the past five don’t have damaging floods every time it years, is finalizing a study focused on rains, but we also have all this protected the economic and environmental benland for people to enjoy,” Holleman said. efits of expanding buffer zones along “That’s the kind of community we want waterways. Those buffer zones — our grandchildren to live in.”
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