Coastal Wetland Buffers: Putting Buffers into Practice

Buffers protecting wetlands support clean water and prevent flooding, however SC doesn’t have universal regulations for buffer design and implementation. Jill Stewart, Director of the Dam Safety and Stormwater Permitting Division, SCDHEC will describe why local ordinances are common and the legal basis for buffer regulation from a stormwater perspective. Local government staff members from the Town of Mount Pleasant (Kevin Mitchell & Hillary Repik) and the Town of Hilton Head Island (Sally Krebs) will provide overviews of their local ordinances, as well as practical lessons in ordinance creation and enforcement. Attendees will also gain a buffer design perspective through a case study from Joshua Robinson of Robinson Design Engineers. Organized by North Inlet – Winyah Bay NERR, ACE Basin NERR, S.C. Sea Grant Consortium, and Clemson Cooperative Extension.