On April 15, 2025, the Anderson SC County Council introduced a riparian buffer ordinance to address the impact new developments are having on the waters of Anderson County. The second reading for this ordinance (Ordinance 2025-018) is planned for Tuesday, May 6, 2025. The Lake Hartwell Association (LHA) plans to make a statement at this Council Meeting. Please look for a future notice from LHA requesting your support. In the meantime, LHA is submitting the following write-up on riparian buffers for our members to learn about these buffers.
What are riparian buffers, and why are they important to Lake Hartwell?
A riparian buffer is a strip of vegetation along a stream, river, lake, or pond. Riparian buffers protect water quality by capturing and filtering pollutants before they are washed off land surfaces and carried into local waterways. As development increases in a watershed, more land is converted from its natural state to a type of impervious surface that cannot filter water. Stormwater running off these impervious surfaces can carry sediment (clay and silt) and pollutants like litter, fertilizers, pesticides, mud, and animal waste, discharging them into the nearest river or stream (the basin or watershed). These impurities then travel downstream and enter Lake Hartwell. Sedimentation is having the most visible impact on the coves of Lake Hartwell, decreasing the lake’s storage capacity. Buffers help slow down and filter that runoff while also providing important wildlife habitat, aesthetic beauty, flood protection, and more. Please refer to the following illustrations of riparian buffers. As another example, The Corps of Engineers undeveloped property from the lake edge to approximately 75 to 100 feet back is an example of a riparian buffer. Drive by a Corps of Engineers park or boat ramp to visualize these natural buffers.
