The best way to deal with Union County’s high unemployment may be to drown it.

During a recent gathering at Foster Park, some of the candidates for the GOP nomination for the Fourth Congressional District voiced their support for the Patriot’s Lake project. State Sen. David Thomas, who had already announced his support for the lake, reiterated his support for the project, primarily as a backup water source for the county, but also as a resource to promote industrial and residential development.

Seventh Circuit Solicitor Trey Gowdy also supports the lake, pointing out that it attracts people. He then asked why anyone would not support it.

Thomas and Gowdy’s comments were prompted by questions posed by myself and the man who has been spearheading the Patriot’s Lake project, William Jeter. We were both interested in what Thomas, Gowdy and their fellow candidates would do to bring down this county’s 19.4 percent unemployment rate. Though all four of the candidates presented a number of ideas for dealing with the problem, Thomas’ and Gowdy’s answers suggest Patriot’s Lake could and should play an important role in the future of this county.

(Businessman Andrew Smart and Fourth District Rep. Bob Inglis did not address the lake issue in their answers regarding the county’s unemployment rate. Inglis, however, has previously gone on record as opposing the lake. The other two candidates seeking the GOP nomination for the Fourth Congressional District — Christina Jeffrey and Jim Lee — did not attend the event.)

Could Patriot’s Lake be the key to lifting this county out of its economic doldrums? Could its construction solve our obscenely high unemployment rate by drowning this county in new jobs created by the construction of the lake and those created by new industrial, commercial and residential development attracted by the lake and the water it would provide.

I think it’s possible the lake could be the cure for what ails us and not just economically. Union County needs a second source of water, especially if the growth projections for the Upstate and predictions of global climate change pan out.

Still, I’ll admit I’m somewhat ambivalent about the lake project. I like the idea of free-flowing rivers, creeks, streams and brooks. I understand the role they play in nature and am reluctant to interfere with that unless there is no other alternative.

In an ideal world, the future economic development of this county would lie in and around the U.S. 176 Corridor from Union through Jonesville to the Spartanburg County line. It would involve industrial parks that would help the county attract more high-tech production facilities like LSP and Timken, and distribution centers as like Dollar General and Disney Direct Marketing.

Residential and commercial development would occur in Union and Jonesville and also outlying areas of the county like Lockhart and Carlisle. Tourism would also play a big role in this scenario with the Sumter National Forest developed for eco-tourism including campgrounds and landing docks along the Tyger River and Fairforest Creek to serve kayakers, canoeists and hikers.

Sadly, we don’t live in an ideal world. The world we live in faces the consequences from two centuries of industrial pollution and a half-century of runaway population growth. This has taken its toll on the environment, and will accumulate well into the future. We must prepare for the day when the human race begins to pay for its carelessness, greed and shortsightedness. They must, at the very least, include a second look at the Patriot’s Lake project, the impact of its construction on this community, its economy and environment, and the impact of not building it.

Patriot’s Lake is not my first choice for ensuring this county sails safely between the Scylla of population growth and the Charybdis of environmental degradation. It may, however, prove to be the only choice and that’s why it should be on the table over the next two years and beyond.