About The Islander. (St. Simons Island, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 14, 2024)
Drainage Continued from Page 1 concern that the large mature trees on both Guale and in their back yards that have been on dry ground, espe cially oaks and pines, pose a hazard to homes as water continues to rise from the blocked drainage system. Homeowners have awaited action by the SSLT for nearly seven months after reaching out to the SSLT with growing concerns about backed-up water breaching further into adjacent residential properties. Residents Susan and Sonny Liv ingston first contacted the SSLT via text on March 29, 2024 with concerns about the swamp that was creeping into their yard. The Livingstons explained that their lot was completely dry before the beavers were allowed to dam up the County’s drainageway within the park. By August, the Livingstons had lost most of their landscaping to inunda tion including large hydrangeas and a willow tree. The water was then with in three feet of their foundation. They posted photos on the SSLT Facebook page on August 9 with com ments about months of standing wa ter in their yard and large trees now underwater. Susan Livingston noted a large oak on the Land Trust side of the property line, pointing out “that tree’s roots have been under water for a long time. If it falls, it will hit our house.” However, the worst impact is found in the yard of longtime resident Bill Burns. Burns has watched his back yard slowly disappear amid fears the flooding from Guale will compromise his septic system. Both Burns and neighbor Stuart Stevenson are also concerned about a stand of large pine trees now sitting in deep water that won’t recede because of the clogged drainageway on the Guale Preserve side. The tall pines are well within strik ing distance of their homes and would cause considerable damage. The water is also backing up be tween homes as it inches closer to the public right-of-way for Virginia Drive. The multiple properties along Vir ginia Drive that are being flooded by the rebuilt beaver dam back up to the preserve fence that was once part of Musgrove plantation owned by the Bagley family. The impacted homes on Virginia Drive date back as far as 1988, with the most recent completed in 2023. The County’s drainage system for the subdivision predates these homes. Before approving a building permit for the Burns home on Virginia Drive, Glynn County required his permission to add a new buried drainage pipe in 1999 to preserve its drainage system that ran from the subdivision to Vil lage Bluff (Musgrove) Creek. Prior to the County’s addition of the underground pipe to its Village Bluff drainage system, the County’s system funneled the water from the existing network of ditches on Village Drive and the west side of Virginia Drive un der the street and over the Burns’ lot. The County system continued from his lot to a small retention pond and drainageway on Musgrove that led to the creek. Despite owning the property and previously removing beaver dams from the drainage system, SSLT Land Manager Stehpanie Knox told resi dents that the decision to remove the beaver dam had to be approved by the Georgia DNR. Residents were notified in August that DNR Program Manager Jason Lee had denied the request to remove the dam blocking the drainage system to alleviate the flooding of adjacent properties. SSLT had not relocated the beavers after the previous dam removals. SSLT staff stated that Lee denied the request because it would violate a 2014 federal grant application sub mitted by the DNR. Lee had helped prepare the grant which was used to purchase the site. The SSLT and DNR have not pro vided specific details backing the denial. The SSLT acquired this 57-acre portion of the Musgrove property in 2016 with the help of the $1 million North American Wetlands Conser vation Grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). In its 2014 grant application for the purchase of Phase 1 of Musgrove, the Georgia DNR emphasized the grant was needed to preserve several signifi cant habitats on the property, particu larly Maritime Forest, Shell Midden Woodland, and Maritime Live Oak Hammocks. The application included a detailed land cover and habitat map - prepared by DNR as Figure 8 - showing existing conditions on the Musgrove property, as well as a National Wetlands Inven tory map. The wetlands inventory map pre sented by DNR as Figure 7 did not show wetlands in the area of the drain age system or along the boundary with the four Virginia Drive homes. The 2014 grant maps also depict the Musgrove portion of the exist ing man-made Village Bluff drainage system. The only habitats identified by DNR as bordering this drainage route were the Maritime Live Oak Ham mock, Open Field, and Shell Midden Woodland. All three of these habitats are de scribed in the grant application as dry uplands, with Maritime Forest and Hammocks “dominated by live oaks and palmettos” with “sandy soils and wind-pruned canopy trees.” The photos of the newly flooded areas provided by Virginia Drive resi dents show submerged large oaks, pines and palmetto. Beavers are not mentioned in the 14 species of concern listed by DNR staff in the 65-page application. Per the DNR website, there is no closed season in Georgia for trapping beaver and no limit. There is also an existing dirt drive that crosses the drainage system near an area labeled as Tine Plantation’ habitat. The DNR maps for the 2014 grant application and the 2016 conservation easement did not identify any wet lands in or along the drainage route nor near the impacted properties. The map submitted to the FWS by DNR does show a small retention pond located well away from the boundary with adjacent property owners. This retention pond is connected to the straight drainageway that extends from the boundary with the Burns lot to Village Bluff Creek. The drainage system is coded by the DNR as light blue in the wetlands inventory map. According to the map legend, this color code is used for “Pub lic Excavated Ditch.” The same color coding is also used to highlight the large County-main tained drainage ditch that runs across the entire Musgrove property drain ing Lawrence Road to Village Bluff Creek. As presented by the DNR in Figure 8, the dark blue color coding of these drainage systems, which include the Village Bluff subdivision system, rep resents “Excavated Ponds and Ditches (EPD).” This same coding is used in the “Land Cover” map in the conservation easement between SSLT and DNR signed on May 17, 2016. The 2014 grant application noted there are more than 1.7 acres of exca vated ditches on the 57-acre property included in Phase 1. A comparison of the photographs posted by property owners with the small retention pond shown on the 2014 DNR grant map of the preserve - as well as in maps included in the subsequent conservation easement between the SSLT and DNR dated May 2016 - the retention pond has swelled exponentially since the grant was awarded. The flooding from the blocked drain age is inundating the area mapped as Maritime Live Oak Hammock in the grant. The grant authors emphasize October 14, 2024, The Islander, Page 5 this is a globally imperiled habitat. However, the grant application mentions “viewing platforms will be installed along the dike system” in this area of Phase 1. It is unclear where the “dike sys tem” planned by DNR would be cre ated and if it involves the dammed drainage system that provides the only source of water in this portion of the park. Viewing platforms have also been identified in the management plan for the Guale Preserve found in the Phase One federal grant. These platforms would be constructed in the water front park between the Virginia Drive properties and Village Bluff (Mus grove) Creek. There is no other mention of this plan in the grant application. Glynn County Public Works Direc tor Danny Smith acknowledged that the County installed the Village Bluff subdivision drainage system. The County also has other drainage networks that run through the Mus grove property. The second runs northwest to southeast from the Lawrence Road traffic circle, into and across the Mus grove entrance, and then into North Cottages. The third County system drains Lawrence Road through a large ditch network that runs west to east, past the historic African American Village Cemetery within Musgrove to Village Bluff (Musgrove) Creek. The County has not clarified what steps it will take to protect taxpayer funded drainage and street infrastruc ture from flooding, as well as ensuring the safety and health of homeowners Turn to Page 8 Drainage To Buy or Sell Land in Coastal Georgia Please Call Fred Freyer, Associate Broker 912*230-0539 fred@fredfreyer.com fredfreyer.com ASSOCIATES 4 Real Eiiacr Senates (912)638-4740 Country Cooking, Lunch Specials, Monday thru Friday 11 A.M, to 2:00 P.M. $8.95 MARSHSIDE Peppei Steak Fried or Baked Chicken Meat THURSDAY Loaf Roast Fried Fried or or Baked Smothered Chicken Chicken Country Fried Steak ^Seafood Gumbo with White Rice & Combread * Vlarshside Lunch Specials Come With Your Choice of 2 Sides. Cabbage - Collard Greens - Black Eyed Peas - Lima Beans - Mashed Potatoes & Gravy - Macaroni & Cheese - White Rice - Dirty Rice - Steamed Vegetables 1200 Glynn Avenue, Brunswick, GA 912-342-7981 www.marshsidegrill.com/ Ocean Fresh Seafood, Burgers, Appetizers, Salads, Brunswick Stew, Sandwiches & More.
