Troubled waters: South Carolina's oldest stormwater ponds exist in regulatory 'no-man's land'

Joshua Robinson recently spoke with Jonah Chester at the Post & Courier about the challenges and opportunities of stormwater ponds in the Lowcountry. Here are some excerpts from the article, which can be read in full here.

Stormwater ponds, especially older ones, can become a soup of chemical and biological contamination. Yard fertilizer, pond-cleaningchemicals, trash and oil are just a few of the pollutants that can accumulate in a pond over time. When a large storm or hurricane hits,pollutants that have settled at the bottom of the pond can become resuspended and potentially wash out into the landscape, eventuallymaking their way to natural waterways.

“These ponds are becoming similar to wastewater treatment plants because they’re accumulating so much old material, and there’s no plan for what to do, other than it’s up to the owner of the pond to make sure that they’re in good working order,” Robinson said…

While some stormwater ponds may pose a growing environmental threat, they’re also “low-hanging fruit” for wetland restoration, Robinson said. Many are located in areas that were originally wetlands, and he said rehabilitating them with natural plant-life can filter water and create new habitats for local wildlife. “If we don’t plant native vegetation that we want to clean the water, then undesirable vegetation is going to grow,” he said. “If we don’t treat the pond like an ecosystem, and actually nourish the good parts of it, then eventually the only organisms that can live there are the extremely pollution-tolerant organisms.”