Staff Writer

How much will it cost to build Patriot's Lake and where will the money come from?

The projected cost of the project and the source of funding are among many issues where supporters and opponents disagree

A U.S. Army Corps of Engineers study projects the lake would cost $187 million to build and $2 million a year to maintain. Opponents say that figure could be closer to $500 million once all other costs are factored in.

The proposed 6,500-acre lake would be formed by damming Tyger River and Fairforest Creek. In July 2007, the Corps of Engineers sent Union County a copy of a draft version of its three-year “Concept Study of a Regional Water Supply Reservoir.” The county and the Lake Project Committee have been reviewing the draft and the Corps is expected to release a final version soon.

On Jan. 4, a coalition of environmental groups opposed to the project issued a statement saying the study found that the lake is not justified economically.

“With over 50 businesses, government entities and municipalities that currently have federal discharge permits into the Tyger River, a state-of-the-art water treatment facility costing tens of millions of dollars will be needed to turn Tyger River water into drinking water capable of complying with the Clean Water Act and the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control regulations,” Dennis Chamberlain, an attorney for the Sierra Club, said. “The delivery system would be comprised of pumps and piping necessary to distribute the water to the ultimate users.

“It would also include acquiring the right of ways and possible condemnation of private property,” he said. “Again, the ACE (Army Corps of Engineers) report acknowledged that it did not include the costs of delivery of water.”

Other costs that Chamberlain said would be associated with the lake include compensation for private property owners whose land will be seized as the project envisions over 1,000 acres of privately-owned land being flooded. Litigation growing out of the project could also add to its cost.

Lake committee chairman William Jeter, however, told the Union Rotary Club Tuesday that the Corps' cost projection is not accurate. Jeter said he's talked with people involved in dam construction and was told that a private concern could build the dam for much less than the Corps estimates it will cost. He said he was told by an engineer who has built dams around the world that construction of the dam could cost as little as $90 million.

While there would be additional costs such as a water treatment plant and distribution lines, Jeter said these would still constitute “economic activity” that would benefit the county. Proponents have touted the lake as a boon for economic development that could attract new residents and businesses.

As for where the money for the construction of the lake and related public works projects would come from, Jeter said one possible source is congressional public works appropriations. Jeter pointed to a $23 billion waterworks bill recently approved by Congress despite a presidential veto as proof of Congress' inclination to support public works projects throughout the country.

“So what if they're pet projects, if they're pork barrel projects; I don't see Congress changing, I don't see Congress changing one bit,” he said. “If they have an opportunity to spend money and spend it where it's needed as far as public works are concerned then what's wrong with that?”

Jeter said the Corps' report understates the benefits of the lake, especially where public recreation and economic development are concerned.

“The recreational opportunities it could provide to the people that live in this region, a resource that we don't have available now,” he said. “The economic benefits that would be derived from a lake being built like this, the impact would be incalculable. For them to suggest that there would be no economic impact to justify the cost/benefit of a project like this is just ludicrous.”

While the Corps did look at those issues, Jeter said they didn't explore them with the depth they deserved.

“I think they looked into it but it was scant analysis, I don't think they fully got in-depth with it,” he said. “They never even mentioned ancillary-type businesses that would be established from the homes that would be built and the residents that would move here and the businesses that would be created.

“The climate would be more conducive for manufacturing companies to come here,” he said. “The quality of life would improve, retirees would want to move to Union and live here.”

As for the upriver discharge sites, Jeter said the environmentalist group Upstate Forever sent him a letter in 2003 informing him of the sites' existence. Jeter questioned why the discharges are permitted and why the environmentalists have done nothing about it.

“Why are they permitted to dishcarge contaminants in our river to begin with? What about the health of Tyger River?” he asked. “There hadn't been much interest in the Tyger River until this lake project. If they're so interested in the health of this river then why don't they look at those discharge sites and find ways to correct those sites themselves?”