Comments on the Lake Hartwell PCB Settlement Plan Draft are due by Dec 6. Go to http://www.dnr.sc.gov/news/fishingcomp.html for more information on the plan and a link to the public survey.

The recommendation from LakeFrontHartwell.com is for the Trustees to approve the draft plan as it now stands.

The PCB Settlement was a 2006 federal consent decree and stated that funds will be used for recreational fishing to:

1. "Create opportunities for the public generally to harvest fish that are not subject to fish consumption advisories currently in place for Lake Hartwell and 12-Mile Creek,
2. Enhance the recreational fishery of Lake Hartwell, 12-Mile Creek, and the surrounding area, and/or
3. Implement projects designed to improve the habitat and natural resources within the 12-Mile Creek corridor.”

The current draft fulfills these objectives.

Currently there are discussions about 2 other proposals for the use of this money.

The proposal receiving the most attention is the removal of the 3rd dam.
This project would use virtually ALL the available funds and produce minimum benefits according to an article by Chris Horton - BASS Conservation Director.  See ESPN article. Additionally removing the dam doesn't seem to make sense from a public health perspective since PCBs are no longer detectable in drinking water from Lake Hartwell. See Greenville News article

The second proposal is to build an environmental education center.. This project would also use virtually ALL the available funds. In our opinion, this proposal misses the mark when compared to the federal consent decree, which would be the only legal use of this money. See LFH Article.