Sheldon residents upset over SCE&G's use of herbicides

Sheldon resident John Smith says a utility's effort to kill trees and brush beneath its power lines with a herbicide has caused him to lose his organic farm for at least three years. Other neighbors are upset as well.

S.C. Electric & Gas officials met with six property owners Tuesday to hear their concerns and answer questions.

Smith, who also owns a marine survey company and investigates boating accidents, has grown organic citrus with his wife, Georgia, since the early '90s. They sell oranges, lemons and kumquats to local markets.

But since SCE&G sprayed a herbicide three weeks ago to keep trees and brush from interfering with power lines, Smith said the chemical treatment has spread to his crop, along with other plants on his property, and has put him out of business.

"We're dead," Smith said. "I wouldn't sell chemically-polluted fruits and vegetables."Smith is not a certified organic farmer because the U.S. Department of Agriculture only requires that certification for farmers who make more than $5,000 a year from the work.

If he and his wife decide to sell organic crops in the future, they said they would pursue certification because the herbicides were applied in close proximity to their farm.

Earning organic status will take about three years, Smith said. In the meantime, he's purchased about $135 worth of powdered charcoal, which is supposed to help neutralize the chemicals in the herbicide, he said.

Smith said Clemson University's Department of Pesticide Regulation has launched a formal investigation on the herbicide treatment methods.

SCE&G spokesman Scott Grigg said that's untrue. Clemson officials could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

Aside from Smith, other Sheldon residents said they were not notified of the utility's plans to spray. They agree the herbicide did more damage than necessary.

Woody Collins said the spray killed his peach tree, along with a limb of a large pine tree that he said was not threatening power lines.

Nancy Prentice said the spray killed her vegetable garden and was unnecessary in an area she and her husband already maintain to keep the right-of-way clear. She also worries about the chemical's affect on water quality in the nearbyWhale Branch and Coosaw rivers.

Utility officials say they can't rely on residents to maintain property beneath power lines and contend the spray did the job it was designed to do -- kill hardwoods and plant life that could threaten the safety of line workers if not maintained properly. Trees also can cause outages when wind blows limbs into lines.

Mike Mills, line supervisor for the Southern District, which includes Beaufort County, said it once took as much as eight hours to restore power in Sheldon. Over the past few years, the utility has focused on trimming trees in the area. As a result, outages have both reduced in number and in the amount of time it takes to restore power, Mills said.

David Tempel Jr., the utility's Southern District manager, said this is the first year the utility's budget has allowed spraying to occur in his district -- a standard practice used by many other utilities.

While the company has a notification system to let residents know when trees will be trimmed, Tempel said no such system has been set up about the spraying. Plans for one are in the works, he said.

Tommy Bennett, local manager of the Southern District, said the utility contracts with Natur Chem of Lexington to spray the areas with herbicides consisting of three chemicals mixed with water. Combined with tree-trimming, that treatment should reduce or delay future growth for five years, Bennett said.

Rom Kellis, vice-president of Natur Chem, said the chemicals,approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, are working properly and not causing damage outside of where they are sprayed. He also attended Tuesday's meeting with residents.

While some residents disagree and ask that the utility replace damaged vegetation, others only ask for a better notification system.

"When you enter a property, just because you have legal rights does not negate you from moral rights," resident Collins said. "You could toot the horn to let me know you're here."

Smith, who did not allow SCE&G to inspect his property, said the utility is robbing residents of their quality of life.

"This is the best definition of a taking," he said. "They are keeping us from using our land the way we want to use our land."