South Carolina Bill Allows Aging Seawall Replacement

A South Carolina House committee has passed a measure which will allow a Georgetown County community to replace its aging seawall without the help of taxpayer money.

The committee on Thursday approved by a 17-1 vote the controversial legislation to let Debordieu replace the seawall. The move amounts to a revision to the 26-year-old state ban on new seawalls.

Several dozen million-dollar homes are in danger of falling into the ocean if the nearly mile-long wall isn’t replaced.

Supporters say the state could be held liable if the threatened property rights of the homeowners are not protected. Opponents say the seawall would fuel further erosion and lead to more exemptions of the ban.

The bill, which has passed the Senate, seeks to give communities seven years to replace seawalls.