Floodplains, Greenways & Lakeshores

How the Issue Affects Water Quality

Water quality is about much more than what happens to water itself. One of the most important factors affecting the health of our rivers and lakes is the state of the land along their banks. The most critical area, of course, is the floodplain, or the area that is inundated when a river’s main channel exceeds its carrying capacity. Floodplains can be defined in a variety of ways, but the most common one is known as the 100-year floodplain, which consists of all the land along a river that would be under water in what is known as a 100-year flood (that is, a flood that has a 1% chance of occurring in a given year).

The state of the floodplain affects water quality in a number of ways. An intact floodplain – that is, one that has not been developed or filled in – serves as a filter and an energy dissipator, removing pollutants from and reducing the physical impact of floodwaters. Conversely, a floodplain that has been paved over or otherwise modified pushes the problems that floodwaters can cause – damage to structures, stream channel degradation, and so on – onto downstream property owners. The highest and best use of floodplains, then, is for the management of floodwaters.

Even in between floods, floodplain lands – as well as adjacent upland areas – play a critical role in water quality. If the land along a river or lake (known as the riparian zone) is turned into lawn, pavement, or another non-natural surface, it can contribute large amounts of fertilizer, sediment, and other contaminants directly to the water. Conversely, if these lands are left in a natural state – which in our region consists of forest cover – it can help maintain and even improve water quality. Some of the most important land to protect in the Upstate, then, is the land along rivers and lakes.

Unfortunately, we continue to develop in floodplains, where in most cases development simply does not make sense. What’s more, most upland development in the riparian zone – lakefront developments, riverside homes, and the like – fail to take into account the special responsibility they have for protecting water quality, removing native vegetation and planting lawns right down to the water. Water is an essential resource for our region, and protecting water quality will require careful stewardship on the part of anyone who owns property along a river or lake.

To learn more about floodplain, greenway and lakeshore protection strategies, click here.

How We are Addressing it in the Upstate

Thirty years ago, no one in the Upstate wanted to spend any time near a river. Waterways were dumping grounds for everything from sewage to industrial waste, and as far as most people were concerned, the best thing to do with a river was ignore it. How times have changed!

Today, rivers are popular with everyone from paddlers to homebuilders. The problem is, our rivers still show the scars of a century and a half of abuse and neglect, and aren’t as healthy – or as accessible – as we’d like them to be. Our goal in this project area is to promote land use along rivers and streams that heals the scars of our past mistakes, protecting water quality and making rivers accessible instead of polluting the water and turning our back on it.

Our strategy for working towards this goal is threefold. First, we’re working with a wide range of partners to develop a shared vision for a network of trails and parks along the Reedy River corridor from Travelers Rest to Lake Conestee (a 20 mile north-south corridor centered on downtown Greenville). This plan will help the many public and private organizations that are working on one or another portion of the Reedy greenway corridor coordinate their efforts and create a unified, user-friendly system that both protects the river and makes it accessible for recreation.

Second, we’re building momentum for the passage of a Greenville County greenways ordinance and the development of a county “green infrastructure” plan that, together, would result in the creation of a county-wide network of greenway parks and trails. Now is the time to develop and implement a community-driven plan for protecting our region’s natural heritage – particularly our rivers and streams – before there’s nothing left to protect. Our goal is to help create a plan that will make conservation of greenway corridors and the creation of parks and trails an integral part of the development process.

Finally, we’re helping a group of homeowners around Lake Greenwood organize a lake association and educate fellow lake residents about lake-friendly landscaping. A number of residents who participated in our field trips and conferences on the lake have voiced their concern about the future of the lake and their desire to contribute to the protection of water quality. We’re helping them find ways to raise awareness and promote better practices, starting with their own backyards.