Lake Wylie filling a growing concern

Despite the current drought status in the Lake Wylie area, residents worry about construction sediment filling the lake.

Lake Wylie Covekeepers, part of the Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation, have said construction runoff is the greatest threat to Lake Wylie because of sedimentation pollution. State and county environmental agencies have set rules to prevent runoff, including mandatory 50-foot buffers. But a hard rain can send unsettled dirt past retention barriers.

“There are too many cases where the sediment gets off the site and into waterways,” said Riverkeeper Sam Perkins. “It’s not being retained.”

Perkins said new home developments, such as The Palisades and other neighborhoods in Steele Creek and Lake Wylie, use the lake as a selling point.

“We have received a lot of reports around The Palisades, mainly as individual lots are developed,” Perkins said. “The sites need to be thoroughly maintained.”

Lake resident Janet Harlan took pictures May 28 after a rain of two creeks – one on her property and one near wetlands by Studman Branch, which runs through The Palisades – showing silt and water pouring into the creeks.

“The residents on Rhinehill Road are concerned about the impact of this development on our property,” Harlan said.

Harlan said Toll Brothers spent two days adding rocks and retention ponds to the area. But the silt was already in the creek.

“The threat of sediment pollution entering a waterway exists wherever the ground has been destabilized or disturbed,” said Ellen Goff, Covekeeper and Riverkeeper Foundation board member. “This can occur on farm land, but most often is found on construction sites.”

Goff said she often receives calls about potential erosion control violations in Lake Wylie. Even though contractors and builders have regulations in place, she said,the effectiveness of sediment prevention “depends on a range of circumstances” including how hard it rains.

“Even when stormwater regulations are followed and abatements are installed correctly, sediment pollution can happen,” Goff said.

Runoff isn’t confined to residential building. On June 1, a dozen residents protested a proposed Lake Wylie development before York County Council. Part of their concern was Mill Creek, where residents say a foot or more of lake depth has been lost because of nearby construction.

Former Councilman Perry Johnston said a road being built near a creek is cause for concern.

“The last major rain event we had I took a pint jar, one second in the lake,” he said. “It is now silted down and it’s got about a sixteenth of an inch of silt in the bottom of it. That came through five silt fences.”

Goff says it could take the loss of streams or boat navigation in coves for a more “far-reaching” shift in runoff prevention.

“Mitigation is not prevention,” she said. “To stop sediment pollution, revised regulations would be required so no stormwater is allowed to run off a construction site, and contractors be held responsible for the resulting environmental damage and restoration.”

Until then, Goff said, coves and streams will continue filling and grow shallow.

“It’s going to happen,” she said. “The only question is how bad the damage will be.”

This story was originally published July 2, 2015 at 11:18 AM with the headline "Lake Wylie filling a growing concern."