GEORGETOWN, SC – On June 23, Georgetown County made history by becoming the first county in South Carolina to adopt a comprehensive local wetlands protection ordinance. The ordinance, built on a model developed by the South Carolina Environmental Law Project (SCELP), establishes a local permitting framework for wetland impacts, filling a critical gap left by decades of federal rollbacks and continued state inaction.

The passage marks a significant milestone in a years-long collaboration between SCELP attorneys, Coastal Conservation League staff, Georgetown County officials and a broad coalition of community stakeholders committed to protecting one of the state's most wetland-rich coastal counties.

"Georgetown County has always held a special place in SCELP's work," said SCELP executive director Amy Armstrong. "This is where our roots are.  We are grateful for the County’s leadership in working collaboratively to take this important step, educating themselves, hearing from stakeholders and responding to constituents about how important protecting wetlands is for water quality, wildlife habitat and flood buffering.”  

“We hope this is the start of a statewide trend, and many local governments have already reached out for assistance in protecting their own natural systems," she added. 

Federal protections for wetlands have been eroding for decades through court decisions, regulatory rollbacks and state inaction. The U.S. Supreme Court's 5-4 decision in Sackett v. EPA in 2023 stripped protections from millions of acres of wetlands overnight. In South Carolina alone, the Natural Resources Defense Council estimates that up to 1.77 million acres – roughly three-quarters of previously regulated wetlands – are now at risk.

In 2022, a full year before the Sackett decision, SCELP developed a model wetlands ordinance designed to give local governments a practical, legally sound tool to protect the wetlands in their communities. Georgetown County's ordinance is built on that model and shaped by community-wide collaboration.

“We want to thank Georgetown County staff, Planning Commission, and County Council for taking this step towards a more resilient Georgetown. Not only will protecting wetlands help reduce flooding, improve water quality, and provide habitat for our game species and other wildlife that call Georgetown home, it may help reduce flood insurance premiums for Georgetown County residents and business owners,” said Becky Ryon, North Coast Office Director at the Coastal Conservation League.

"The consequences of wetland loss are not hypothetical," added SCELP staff attorney Monica Whalen. "South Carolina has already lost more than 2.3 million acres of historic wetlands. Flood insurance claims in our state have increased tenfold in thirty years. When wetlands disappear, floodwaters have nowhere to go, and communities bear the cost."

Georgetown County joins a growing list of South Carolina communities that have taken local action to protect wetlands in the absence of adequate federal and state safeguards. The Town of Bluffton became the first municipality in the state post-Sackett to pass a wetlands ordinance, requiring a 50-foot undisturbed buffer around on-site wetlands. The Town of Awendaw followed with its own standalone ordinance, and Horry County has also passed a wetlands buffer ordinance. 

While both organizations would have preferred more protective buffer requirements and fewer exemptions in Georgetown County's final ordinance, the passage represents a significant step forward. It's proof that local governments, when given the right tools and support, can act to protect the wetlands regardless of what is happening in Washington or Columbia.