News Archives 2001   February | June | August | October

October 2001 Topics     current topics

• NEMO pays off with new ordinance adoption
• Researchers rip apart houses for science
• Hunley sub studied
• New video series helps homeowners hold on to their roof
• 2001 Beach Sweep/River Sweep Update

NEMO pays off with new ordinance adoption

The S.C. Nonpoint Education for Municipal Officials (NEMO) program helps local elected and appointed officials learn about various land-use strategies that can help protect water quality.

In response to NEMO program workshops and presentations, the City of Conway has adopted a new zoning ordinance requiring certain wetland plants to be planted in and around on-site retention ponds in new developments. These plants contribute to water-quality improvements, filtering pollutants and nutrients from runoff.

Recently, the city issued a zoning certificate and certificate of occupancy to the first project to comply with the new ordinance—South Carolina Employment Security Commission office at 200 Victory Lane.

“One effective way to work with the local land-use decisionmakers and help them do their jobs is through education,” says Cal Sawyer, S.C. Sea Grant Extension Program environmental quality specialist and NEMO coordinator in South Carolina.

“NEMO offers real-world examples of how other municipalities are protecting natural resources, and offers information about the economic benefits these practices have on local communities.”

Researchers rip apart houses for science

Building on what they’ve learned from three years of Sea Grant laboratory research, Clemson University engineers ripped apart 15 flood-damaged houses this summer, using devices from high-tech crowbars to a 35-ton crane to test hurricane-resistant retrofits. The test houses ranged from brick ranch to wooden two-story, all damaged by high water in Hurricane Floyd and slated for destruction in Horry County.

“This takes the lab into absolute real-world conditions where we can scientifically monitor exactly what happens and evaluate how well the retrofits work,” said Tim Reinhold, Clemson civil engineering professor. Reinhold and his team of five students made side-by-side comparisons of retrofitted and non-retrofitted roofs and walls to determine what works best and can be installed most easily by contractors in the field.

The project is a partnership among Clemson, Horry County, the South Carolina Department of Insurance, the Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS), the Horry-Georgetown Homebuilders Association, and local building officials from Horry County, Conway, and Myrtle Beach.

The study is an outgrowth of a three-year project funded by the S.C. Sea Grant Consortium to evaluate retrofit options that could provide significant improvements in resistance of buildings to severe winds.

Retrofits under study included the effectiveness of adding screws or ring-shank nails as a supplement to the existing nailing pattern on news roofs; using adhesives applied from the attic space on existing roofs; and bracing gable roof ends to prevent their failure. Results of the tests will be compiled by Thanksgiving.

The test homes are among the 29 homes bought as part of FEMA’s repetitive flood buyout program in Horry County. The land must be returned to an undeveloped state in the fall of 2001 to meet the requirements of the FEMA buyout program.

The Conway experiments will also provide valuable data for an 18-month research project funded by the National Sea Grant Technology Initiative that began in October 2001. Reinhold is collaborating with Elizabeth Judge, S.C. Sea Grant Extension coastal hazard specialist, on a study of hazard-retrofit materials and techniques on occupied homes.

This fall, Sea Grant researchers will begin soliciting coastal homeowners to participate in the study. Then inspectors trained by Applied Research Associates (ARA) of Raleigh, N.C., will provide free, detailed wind-risk assessments of about 10 homes selected. Sea Grant researchers and ARA staff will recommend, cost-effective hazard retrofitting for each house.

After researchers and homeowners discuss which retrofit techniques would cause the least disruption and which designs are most appealing, local homebuilders will implement the retrofits. Product manufacturers and industrial partners will share costs of materials.

“We’re learning from the Conway research on empty houses about which retrofit materials and techniques are most effective and easiest to install,” said Judge. “We’ll apply what we’ve learned to occupied houses in the Sea Grant project.”

During the retrofitting process, Judge will coordinate a series of workshops with homeowners. Homeowners will be asked which factors—cost, recent storm history, insurance rates—most influence their willingness to retrofit their homes.

This information could give builders, building officials, home inspectors, and homeowners new ideas for strengthening homes. The project will also offer researchers more exposure to practical constraints of the marketplace and the construction environment, said Judge.

Hunley sub studied

Sea Grant scientists and archeologists are studying how environmental forces have interacted with the recently excavated Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley over the past 136 years.

Scientists will learn how the Hunley has affected the surrounding environment, and archaeologists will gain insight on how microorganisms have affected the submarine. Collaborating on the project are Pamela Morris, assistant professor with the Medical University of South Carolina and David Conlin, archeologist with the National Park Service’s Submerged Resources Center.

Microorganisms of the type studied by Morris and Conlin thrive on iron and are a major cause of corrosion for shipwrecks. Some of these microorganisms are also extremely sensitive indicators of past environmental conditions such as temperature and water pH.

As soon as the submarine was uncovered and exposed to new environmental conditions, this information was lost. But by looking at the microbes that lived in and outside of the submarine, Morris and Conlin hope to recapture this information and understand the conditions that surrounded Hunley following its sinking in 1864.

Before the Hunley was lifted off the sea floor, Conlin and other members of the Hunley archeology team took core samples from the sediment in and around the submarine, as well as samples of the concretion layer covering the hull. Morris and her team of research assistants are now analyzing the samples in her lab at Fort Johnson.

“Unfortunately, there is no ‘black box’ to tell us what happened to the Hunley,” said Paul Mardikian, senior conservator at the Warren Lasch Conservation Center where the submarine is beginning what will be a lengthy conservation process. “The work that Morris and Conlin are doing on the sediment will shed light on the micro-environment of this incredible time capsule.”

Samples preserved in Morris’ lab are being put through a number of tests. Microbiological studies include examining the number and type of bacteria present in the interior and exterior sediments and hull concretions. Exterior sediment will be tested for the amount of sand, silt, and clay particles, as well as for the number and type of macrofauna present.

“We’re using molecular approaches, analysis of the microbial DNA, a technique that has never been used to examine underwater archeological sites,” said Morris, who is also studying the biodegradation of crude oil leaking from USS Arizona. “We hope that this research will help answer archeological problems, specifically the environmental conditions in and around the sub.”

New video series help homeowners hold on to their roofs

A new video series shows homeowners how they can increase their roof’s strength against high winds. The “Holding On to Your Roof” video series, funded in part by the S.C. Sea Grant Consortium and developed at Clemson University Department of Civil Engineering’s Wind Load Test Facility, illustrates various strategies to protect residential roofs in high-wind areas.

Clemson graduate student Ed Sutt takes the viewer step-by-step through the retrofit process on a demonstration roof. Each video begins with a structural test that explains the forces acting on the roof and why each of the recommendations improves the roof’s strength. Sutt also demonstrates techniques, gives helpful hints, and provides detailed cost estimates for each job.

“We’ve been working with the folks at Clemson for quite some time to develop cheap ways for folks to strengthen their homes,” said Robert Bacon, S.C. Sea Grant Extension Program Leader.

Homeowners who have no plans to do the retrofit themselves can watch these videos and learn basic principles of roof retrofit—allowing them to better communicate with a roofing contractor. Each video costs $8.50 and comes with an accompanying brochure detailing the specifications and procedures outlined on film.

To order, specify Tape 7743 “Holding on to Your Roof Part 1: Retrofitting Roof Sheathing Using Adhesives”; or Tape 7744 “Holding on to Your Roof Part 2: Retrofitting Your Asphalt Shingle Roof Covering and Sheathing Connections.” Make your check payable to Clemson University and mail to Clemson University Bulletin Room, Room 96, Poole Agricultural Center, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634-0129. The videos can also be ordered online at http://cufan.clemson.edu/olos/.

2001 Beach Sweep/River Sweep Update

The Beach Sweep/River Sweep was held, as scheduled, on September 15. Thousands of volunteers statewide battled strong winds, chilly temperatures, and feelings of disbelief and anger about the recent terrorist attacks… yet still managed to gather together, showing a steadfast commitment to our environment and strength in unity. Our grief is with the victims and their families and friends.

Thank you, volunteers, for all of your hard work. Check back to this site in mid-October for preliminary results of the 2001 Beach Sweep/River Sweep.

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