Dec. 6, 2022 • Volume 25, Issue 23 • Complimentary • BlufftonSun.com
INSIDE • Group seeks to cover cemetery with wreaths 12A • Rabbi leads discussion on ways to combat antisemitism 16A • Roasting Room music venue to close at end of year 24A • The Bridge in Old Town welcomes first occupants 29A • Winners named in PRSF art contest 32A
Retention ponds keep road runoff from entering waterways By Gwyneth J. Saunders CONTRIBUTOR
There’s nothing like going to your mechanic for an oil change and fluid top-up just to have him give you the bad news that – unobserved by you – your tires are balding. While you stand there deciding which brand and how many you need, have you ever given serious thought to what happened to all that tread? Beaufort County’s Stormwater Management Department knows what happens to ground rubber – as well as the oils, dirt, vegetation, trash and everything else that collects on our roadways. Without any barriers, the stormwater runoff quickly washes that debris into the marshlands and bodies
of water that run through our communities. “Beaufort County has had water quality standards since the ’90s, which is because we’re a very progressive area,” said Katie Herrera, the department’s manager. “The Evergreen Regional Water Quality Retention Basin is designed to improve water quality within the Okatie River watershed. We want [the river] to be fishable and swimmable. Our little Okatie River is never going to be drinkable, but we want to make sure that the harvesting resource is there to make sure the shellfish is safe for everyone’s consumption.” The basin is the in the 24-acre Evergreen Tract on SC 170 next to Seagrass Station. It is one of the solutions the county has devel-
Please see BASIN on page 10A
GWYNETH J. SAUNDERS
Katie Herrera, manager of Beaufort County’s Stormwater Management Department, points out features of the system in the Evergreen Regional Water Quality Retention Basin, one of several basins in the county designed to manage roadway runoff.
BPD hosts ‘Shop with a Cop’ to benefit local youngsters The Bluffton Police Department will host its “Shop with a Cop” for 12 local children Dec. 10. Each of the six Bluffton school resource officers select two children from a financially challenged family. Those 12 children will receive a $100 gift card and, with a Bluffton police officer, go to Wal-Mart and “Shop
with a Cop.” The students may purchase holiday gifts for their families or themselves. Donations are being accepted through the Community Foundation of the Lowcountry to help cover the cost. To donate online, visit cflowountry.civicore.com/BPDBenevolencefund, or mail a check to the Foundation at PO Box 23019, Hilton Head Island,
Visit us
THIS HOLIDAY SEASON!
HOLIDAY HOURS: Tues-Fri: 10am-5pm Sat: 10am-4pm Closed December 23-26 & December 31 310 Okatie Highway | (843) 645-7774 PortRoyalSoundFoundation.org
SC. Write “Shop with a Cop” in the memo section. “The Bluffton community is second to none in the ways neighbors help neigh-
bors,” said Interim Chief Scott Chandler. “These toy events bring joy to children in our community and are a wonderful way for officers to build relationships with families.”