By Hailey Murphy, S.C. Sea Grant Consortium.
Sunrise on the Beaufort waterfront. Photo credit: Hailey Murphy/S.C. Sea Grant Consortium.
The S.C. Resilient Coastal Communities Collaborative Program, a watershed-based resilience planning pilot program, has begun meeting with recently developed community action teams in the Salkehatchie River Basin. These teams will provide input on flooding and other community concerns, identify local vulnerabilities to environmental hazards, and develop flood reduction strategies and pathways to resilience.
This program, a partnership between the S.C. Office of Resilience (SCOR) and S.C. Sea Grant Consortium, has begun community engagement to co-produce plans for flood risk reduction approaches in waterways that flow across county and municipal boundaries with the intent of 1) building the capacity of underserved communities to plan for climate resilience, and 2) taking a more holistic watershed-based approach in planning to maximize benefits and minimize negative impacts on adjacent communities. The Salkehatchie River Basin includes all or portions of 7 counties: Allendale, Bamberg, Barnwell, Beaufort, Colleton, Hampton, and Jasper.
Map of the Salkehatchie River Basin and communities engaged in the S.C. Resilient Coastal Communities Collaborative Program. Image courtesy of SCOR.
The following communities will participate in co-producing 10 Community Risk and Vulnerability Reports with identified solutions:
- City of Bamberg
- City of Barnwell
- Communities of the Upper Coosawhatchie (Towns of Allendale, Fairfax, and Brunson)
- Towns of Hampton and Varnville
- Town of Yemassee
- City of Walterboro
- St. Helena Island & Lady’s Island
- Northern Beaufort County communities (Sheldon, Lobeco, and Dale)
- Northern Jasper County
- Community of Old Bailey’s
These reports will be integrated into a Salkehatchie River Basin Watershed Resilience Plan which prioritizes actions that increase community and ecosystem resilience. The project will also produce a Watershed Resilience Planning Handbook to provide guidance to other communities for implementing a similar process of watershed-based resilience planning.
This project is made possible by funding through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s 2022 National Coastal Resilience Fund and collaboration with the S.C. Office of Resilience and S.C. Beach Advocates.
Learn more at the S.C. Resilient Coastal Communities Collaborative Program webpage.
For questions or more information, contact Sophia Truempi, S.C. Sea Grant Consortium Coastal Community Resilience Planning Specialist, or Karen Hardison, SCOR Salkehatchie Watershed Coordinator.