CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) — Environmental groups are raising the alarm after finding out that a Dominion Energy contractor sprayed and killed several Gadsden Creek native plants with herbicide.
A Dominion Energy contractor recently applied the herbicides Rodeo (Glyphosate) and Arsenal (Imazapyr) along the entire perimeter of Gadsden Creek, below the power lines. The plants that were killed include: groundsel, marsh elder and sea ox-eye daisy. Experts say none of the plants sprayed came close to interfering with Dominion’s power lines and they don’t grow tall enough to reach the power lines.
Dominion Energy confirmed a contractor sprayed herbicide in the area and says as part of their proactive vegetation management program, they perform multiple activities along electric and gas rights of way to control growth and ensure the safety and reliability of their electric system.
Dr. Blake Scott is the co-founder of the M.A.R.S.H. Project and says all of the plants that were sprayed are not weeds and shouldn’t have been sprayed in the first place, especially since it’s within wetlands.
“This is not a weed,” Scott says. “It only grows about 3 feet tall, so it’s not going to affect view lines or power lines or any of those things. You can maintain an edge with a lawn mower or even a weed whacker and allow some of the sea oxide daisy to be like a row of flowers for an area. There are many other ways that we can manage our edges around our landscapes.”
Scott also says the herbicides can have negative impacts on the entire marsh, including on the wildlife in the area and the water it holds. Experts say the chemicals can kill foundational vegetation, erode marsh sediments and creek banks, trigger toxic algal blooms and oxygen depletion, harm sensitive estuarine and of course, kill plants.
“They’re messing with the enzymes and the biological cycles of these plants,” Scott says. “And they can have unintended consequences for other species. So one plant is targeted, but it stays in the water. It can get to shrimp. It can get to crabs. It can get to human beings. It can get to worms. It gets to soil health. So it’s not just affecting that one plant. It gets into the whole ecosystem.”
Torrey Sanders is a conservation program manager with the Coastal Conservation League and says she immediately knew the plants had been sprayed with herbicide since the dead plants were in a strip right under the powerlines.
“It was pretty shocking,” Sanders says. “It’s so clear and so stark. Just seeing that clear delineation between green, healthy plants and those dead brown plants. It’s obvious there was a chemical herbicide sprayed here.”
She is also concerned about the general health of the entire creek and its remaining wetlands.
“You can’t have a functioning ecosystem without these specific, very specific types of native salt marsh plants because those attract certain pollinators,” Sanders says. “It’s this entire integrated system. You can’t have one without the other.”
The city of Charleston says they were not aware of the work being done by Dominion, and in the past, plants in the area were typically moved so they wouldn’t be harmed and could grow back.
Dominion Energy sent a statement in response:
“Woody vegetation growing into power lines and other equipment is hazardous and can prevent safe access to electric and gas rights of way. Hazardous trees, limbs and other forms of vegetation represent the number one reason for power outages across our system. While cyclical trimming is an important part of our maintenance program, herbicides may also be selectively applied to woody vegetation by professional contractors using EPA approved products and application techniques as directed on the product label. Our contractors are licensed and certified to do so along rights of way in South Carolina to proactively control vegetation.
Proper, routine maintenance of vegetation growing near our facilities is critical to provide safe and reliable power to the communities we serve.”
Renewed calls to ensure protection of the four acres left of historic Gadsden Creek
The Gadsden Creek has a complicated history, but that hasn’t stopped environmental groups from ensuring its protection.
The city of Charleston began using the area as a landfill in the 1950’s, depositing trash throughout the marsh and filling the creek entirely. Following the closure of the landfill and new development, then came a recent battle where the South Carolina Environmental Law Project challenged South Carolina’s Department of Health and Environmental Control’s authorization to fill and what they said would destroy Gadsden Creek for mixed-use development, otherwise known as the WestEdge project.
In 2024, the state Supreme Court ruled to allow the development with a plan to fill in the creek as part of an effort to address tidal flooding that plagues the area. However, environmental experts say future impacts on the creek following the new developments remain to be seen. Ever since then, they have continued to protect the creek and what’s left of the wetlands.
The City of Charleston has a water plan that helps preserve and protect ecologically sensitive areas on a mission to safeguard essential ecological, water management and economic benefits.
Environmental experts say emphasizing the plan would help protect the creek from future sprayings.
“I think the water plan and the city are doing great things for coming up with ideas and designs and plans,” Scott says. “Now it’s communicating those designs and plans to the actual practices.”
They are calling for the posting and protection of the city’s ecologically sensitive areas, especially areas that support native salt marsh plants and animals.
“We need things codified,” Sanders says. “We need things protected like things that are important to the city need protection. This is something that’s important to the city. We know Gadsden Creek’s important to the city. We know our other waterways are important to the city. We know human health is important to the city. So let’s get that baked into law, making sure that these types of things can’t happen again.”
The M.A.R.S.H. Project and the Friends of Gadsden Creek are hosting an event on July 25 to record plant and animal species within the creek.
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