Saving the Oyster Beds at M.I.

By Jason Lesley

Coastal Observer

Saving the oyster beds in Murrells Inlet from a rising tide of pollutants is the top priority of a watershed study that will be submitted to the state Department of Health and Environmental Services early next year.
Dan Newquist, a planner for Waccamaw Regional Council of Governments, told members of the Winyah Chapter of the Sierra Club this week that the plan is in the rough draft stage after about a year’s work. It is due by Feb. 21 with hopes it will lead to funds to implement recommendations to maintain water quality standards that allow human consumption of shellfish.
Newquist said keeping the inlet’s two public shellfish grounds open is a very important goal for the plan. “That is a public resource and has been part of the Murrells Inlet culture for a long time,” he said. Additionally, he said, there are six other commercially leased shellfish areas in the inlet. 

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