MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WBTW)-We may not know the wide-ranging impact of October’s historic flooding for quite some time, including its impact on the environment. Many people’s homes were damaged, the roads still need repairs as does the Waccamaw river.
In the last year alone, more than 10,000 pounds of trash was removed from one part of the Waccamaw river and that was before the flood.
Now, Emma Boyer, the Waccamaw river keeper gets calls every day from people complaining about how dirty the rivers are. She said many people are careless with the water because they don’t realize the harm they’re causing or who it’s impacting.
“There’s got to be something about the water that’s important to you whether it’s the drinking water quality or whether you enjoy the water outdoors here or if you’re just concerned about the economy of this region, we are so dependent on tourism and people coming down here because of our beautiful rivers, our beautiful coasts. I think it would be hard to find someone in this area that is not connected with water quality.”
She also said a lot of the river abuse comes from people who don’t understand the impact they have on the water. If people only realized the water they drink comes from the Waccamaw river, than she believes people would treat it a lot differently.
“What you’re doing on land is effecting the water around you as well. For example, the rivers are just laden with trash and debris because of all of the flooding because everything that is happening on land is going into the river. So the most physical thing is trash. I think people don’t make that connection that there is no in between.”
There’s a river clean up planned for next month. The organization will hold a conference this weekend to educate people on water quality. If you’re interested in going, visit their page here.