Drawing a line in the sand

Huger residents have been entangled with an environmental issue for the past four years. Last month, a settlement was reached between the unincorporated community and the Donmar sand mine expansion.

 

At the genesis of the operation in 2017, Donmar Sand Mines received state and local permits authorizing two 5-acre mines on Charity Church Road. That November, the mining company requested to further dig a 30-acre mine.

 

After two years in and out of litigation, including a 2018 denial from the Berkeley County Board of Zoning Appeals, Berkeley County Council eventually approved the expansion in 2019. But before Donmar moved on the green light, the project met several speed bumps with the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) initiated by the Coastal Conservation League.

 

The conservation league requested a public meeting be held to voice the concerns of the Huger community. On Sept. 1, 2020, a joint in-person and virtual gathering was held at the Baldwin Carson Community Outreach Center. 

 

“We’re proud to have partnered with the residents of Huger and support their efforts to create a more resilient community,” said Laura Cantral, executive director of the Coastal Conservation League. “The best outcome would have been no mine at all, but the concessions will help mitigate some of the impacts of the mine and paints a clear picture about the type of community they want for themselves and future generations while we work together for stronger protections against the impacts of mining across South Carolina.”

 

Quality of life was the biggest concern. The fears of more mining included not only dust on the roads and in the air, noise at all hours and increased traffic due to construction, and, most importantly, the threat of contamination to the water supply and lakes where people fish for food.

 

Despite a plethora of pleas to halt the operation, DHEC granted Donmar permits for the expansion a month later in October 2020. Shortly thereafter, the S.C. Environmental Law Project appealed the issuance of the permits on behalf of Coastal Conservation League members in Huger.

 

This final attempt didn’t spare the community from the mine’s expansion; however, it did result in several concessions that the residents of Huger will benefit from. Three pillars of agreement were reached in the settlement fostered by the conservation league, the environmental law group, and State House Rep. Joe Jefferson for District 102.

 

The settlement includes a transfer of title for over 10 acres of land adjacent to Charity Church Road to the residents of Huger, as well as funding for the Heart of Huger Revitalization Efforts to restore and expand a community park along Cainhoy Road.

Furthermore, biannual meetings between the community and Donmar will be held for the first two years and then annually thereafter for the life of the mine. 

 

“I think it’s a win-win situation for the entire community as well as Donmar,” Jefferson said.

 

He added that the settlement is a good start and the Huger community is pleased for the time being, but he’s not certain that the sand mine situation is put to rest once and for all. 

 

Donmar is one of 500 active mines in South Carolina. There are more than 100 across Charleston, Dorchester and Berkeley counties.