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Lake Watery association urges Kershaw County funding to treat toxic algae affecting drinking water intake areas
Summary
A Lake Watery Association member told Kershaw County Council volunteers recently surveyed the lake and found extensive cyanobacteria (limnobia) growth near the city water intake and asked the county for funding to begin treatment and control efforts.
Christine Dennis, a member of the Lake Watery Association and the Kershaw County Clean Commission, told the county council on April 8 that a toxic cyanobacteria (identified in the transcript as limbia/microcystis-like) threatens water quality, fish and recreational use at Lake Watery and asked the county for financial help to start treatment.
Dennis said the lake is a drinking-water source for "14,000 people who live in Camden, Lugoff, and Elgin area," and described recent volunteer surveys that identified expanded algae beds compared with the last survey done in 2021. She told council members the algae can kill fish, obstruct navigation, cause skin irritation in humans, and harm pets; she said in one area the algal mats were close to Camdens intake valves.
"We need to start our treatment as soon as we possibly can because once this stuff starts to bloom, it gets harder and harder to treat," Dennis said, and added the association had secured pro bono assistance from a Clemson University professor who has agreed to serve as treatment administrator.
Dennis described a typical treatment cycle as requiring multiple applications in a year and asked county council members to consider funding, saying the longer the county waits the more expensive and less effective remediation will become. Council members did not commit a funding amount during the meeting; the item was raised during the public-comment portion of the agenda.
The Lake Watery Associations request asks the county to fund an immediate treatment program to protect drinking water intakes, recreation, and property values. Dennis recommended beginning treatment and monitoring as soon as possible and offered to coordinate volunteer surveys and expert oversight.
Council members who spoke thanked Dennis for the presentation and the association's volunteer work; council discussion of a formal funding request and any required staff follow-up was not recorded during the public-comment segment.
