Introduction

Even though many of us never give it any thought, landfills are just as necessary to the American people as the resources they consume. South Carolinians produce nearly 5 million tons of municipal solid waste annually. Landfills provide us with proper means to dispose of this solid waste. Today, solid waste collection sites are few in number. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the nationwide number of active solid waste collection sites in 2003 was around 1851 as opposed to around 8000 in 1998. To compensate for the fewer sites, the sites are now much larger. The larger sites pose issues for environmental and natural resource factors and the encroachment into wildlife territory.

Collecting from all of Horry County, South Carolina, which happens to include the Myrtle Beach area, the Horry Country Solid Waste Authority (HCSWA) is responsible for a huge amount of solid waste. And it requires a very large (1187-acre) tract of land. Much of the land is undeveloped and contains many unique and endangered habitats. Some of the habitats include areas such as longleaf pine/wiregrass ecosystems, Carolina bays, pond pine pocosin, and some blackwater swampThe site also contains unique array of wildlife and is one of the few remaining undisturbed areas in this region, which provide critical habitat for Black Bear.

In order for HCSWA to operate and carry out its responsibility to the public, encroachment into these natural areas is essential. Designated areas within the tract will be excavated for its soil to provide a cap for the collected wastes. Herein lays the issue of maintaining the flora and fauna within these unique habitat types, regardless of the industrial impacts. HCSWA wants to use this area to create an atmosphere of education and environmental awareness, as well as provide a model of stewardship for other similar sites. This project, in conjunction with a forest management plan, will provide a comprehensive wildlife management plan and a plan for education and demonstration in natural resource areas that will provide insights to the habitat types within the area as well as recommendations on maintaining its natural resources, history, and unique wildlife diversity.

The Department of Forestry and Natural Recourses at Clemson University cooperated with the HCSWA to develop a dynamic management plan to meet their needs.  Several objectives were to be accomplished.

Objectives

In order to provide HCSWA with a dynamic management plan to meet their needs, several objectives must be accomplished.

• Perform a complete GPS/GIS inventory of the tract and identify important ecological communities, natural resources, and unique and natural areas.
• Develop a management plan to restore and maintain the site’s natural resources and ecological diversity in lieu of soil excavation in the borrow areas.
• Provide a wildlife and natural resource management plan that recognizes HCSWA for their environmental stewardship and a model for landfill management, such as the Wildlife and Industry Together (W.A.I.T.) certification.
• Provide a management strategy focused on public education with opportunities for use of the land by education and special interest groups.

Methods

The accomplishments are summarized on this website.  The wildlife management plan, educational demonstration plan, background history reprints, and related publication can be accessed on this website.  This research project demonstrated that municipal solid waste sites can be significant contribution to an enhanced environment.

 

Partners Horry County Solid Waste Authority Clemson University Department of Forestry and Natural Resources

Personnel C. Lee Williams Masters of Forest Resources Clemson University Environmental manager Horry County Solid Waste Authority 1886 Highway 90 Conway, SC 29526 (843) 347-1651 Carrolw@clemson.edu David Dantzler Masters of Science Department of Forest and Natural Resources 221 Lehotsky Hall Clemson University Clemson, SC 29634. 864 656 4827 Dwdantz@clemson.edu (In charge of GPS Mapping)