South Carolina's Wetlands: Status and Trends, 1982-1989
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U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service South Carolina’s Wetlands Status and Trends, 1982 – 1989 South Carolina’s Wetlands Status and Trends, 1982 – 1989 T. E. Dahl U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Division of Habitat Conservation Habitat Assessment Branch Acknowledgments This study was funded in part by the Dr. Kenneth Burnham of Colorado State Environmental Protection Agency University, Fort Collins, CO wrote the (EPA), Office of Wetlands, Oceans and statistical analysis programs. Watersheds under interagency agree- Publication design and layout was done ment number DW149356-01-0. Special by the U.S. Geological Survey, appreciation is due to Doreen Vetter and Madison, WI. Chris Williams of the EPA, Wetlands Division, Washington, D.C. This report should be cited as follows: Dahl, T.E. 1999. South Carolina’s wet- The author would like to recognize the lands — status and trends extraordinary efforts of two people of 1982 – 1989. U.S. Department of the the Wetlands Status and Trends Unit Interior, Fish and Wildlife of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Service, Washington, D.C. 58 pp. Mr. Richard Young was responsible for the integrity and geographic information system analysis of the data. Ms. Martha Caldwell assisted in the field work and Front cover photo: Estuarine emergents, conducted the statistical analysis of the Edisto River, South Carolina data sets. T. Dahl Many other people on the staff at the Back cover photo: White water-lily National Wetlands Inventory Center of (Nymphaea odorata) the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in St. USFWS Petersburg, FL contributed to this effort. Their help is greatly appreciated. United States Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service United States Environmental Protection Agency 1 Conversion Table U.S. Customary to Metric inches (in.) x 25.40 = millimeters (mm) inches (in.) x 2.54 = centimeters (cm) feet (ft) x 0.3048 = meters (m) miles (mi) x 1.609 = kilometers (km) nautical miles (nmi) x 1.852 = kilometers (km) square feet (ft2) x 0.0929 = square meters (m2) square miles (mi2) x 2.590 = square kilometers (km2) acres (A) x 0.4047 = hectares (ha) gallons (gal) x 3.785 = liters (L) cubic feet (ft3) x 0.02831 = cubic meters (m3) acre-feet (A-ft) x 1233.5 = cubic meters (m3) ounces (oz) x 28.3495 = grams (g) pounds (lb) x 0.4536 = kilograms (kg) short tons (tons) x 0.9072 = metric tons (t) British Thermal Units (BTU) x 0.2520 = kilocalories (kcal) Farenheit degrees (F ) 0.5556 (F - 32) = Celsius degrees (C ) Metric to U.S. Customary millimeters (mm) x 0.03937 = inches (in.) centimeters (cm) x 0.3937 = inches (in.) meters (m) x 3.281 = feet (ft) kilometers (km) x 0.6214 = miles (mi) square meters (m2) x 10.764 = square feet (ft2) square kilometers (km2) x 0.3861 = square miles (mi2) hectares (ha) x 2.471 = acres (A) liters (L) x 0.2642 = gallons (gal) cubic meters (m3) x 35.31 = cubic feet (ft3) cubic meters (m3) x 0.0008110 = acre-feet (A-ft) milligrams (mg) x 0.00003527 = ounces (oz) grams (g) x 0.03527 = ounces (oz) kilograms (kg) x 2.2046 = ounces (oz) metric tons (t) x 2204.62 = pounds (lb) metric tons (t) x 1.102 = short tons (tons) kilocalories (kcal) x 3.968 = British Thermal Units (BTU) Celsius degrees (C ) 1.8(C ) + 32 = Farenheit degrees (F ) 2 Contents Executive Summary ................................................................................................................................................................7 Introduction ..............................................................................................................................................................................8 Historical Background ............................................................................................................................................................9 Study Area ..............................................................................................................................................................................14 Estimating South Carolina’s Wetland Resources .............................................................................................................19 South Carolina’s Wetlands — Common Community Associations ................................................................................. 21 Results: Status, Distribution and Ownership of Wetlands...............................................................................................30 Wetland Trends, 1982–89 ......................................................................................................................................................40 Discussion of Wetland Trends ..............................................................................................................................................44 Summary .................................................................................................................................................................................49 References Cited....................................................................................................................................................................50 Appendix A: Definitions of Habitat Categories Used in the South Carolina Status and Trends Study ...........................................................................................................................53 Appendix B: Data Table ........................................................................................................................................................57 Appendix C: Data Table — Combined categories .............................................................................................................58 3 List of Figures Figure 1. Estimated extent of South Carolina’s original wetlands .............................................................................................9 Figure 2. Regions of historical commercial rice producing wetlands in South Carolina .........................................................9 Figure 3. A 1989 high altitude infrared photograph shows patterns of old rice fields and levees along the Ashepoo River, Colleton County, South Carolina.......................................................................................................10 Figure 4. An infrared photograph of primarily forested wetland along the Pee Dee River, South Carolina, 1990 ...........11 Figure 5. Location and construction date of the major reservoirs in South Carolina ...........................................................12 Figure 6. A 1990 aerial infrared photograph of “Carver’s Bay”, Georgetown County, South Carolina.............................13 Figure 7. The four physiographic zones within South Carolina used in this study ................................................................14 Figure 8. Three major segments of South Carolina’s coast .......................................................................................................15 Figure 9. The South Carolina portion of the Coastal Barrier Resources System ..................................................................16 Figure 10. Major rivers and (watershed) basins within South Carolina. ................................................................................17 Figure 11. South Carolina counties ...............................................................................................................................................18 Figure 12. Major land use categories within South Carolina ....................................................................................................18 Figure 13. Randomized sample plot distribution for this study. ...............................................................................................19 Figure 14a-d. Wetland area (a) as compared to total area of the State; (b) percent by estuarine and freshwater types; (c) estuarine covertypes; (d) freshwater covertypes ...................................................................................30 Figure 15. Estuarine emergent wetlands along South Carolina’s coast ..................................................................................31 Figure 16. Estuarine wetland distribution along South Carolina’s coast, 1989 ......................................................................32 Figure 17. Palustrine (freshwater) wetland distribution within South Carolina, 1989 ..........................................................33 Figure 18. Forested wetland distribution within South Carolina, 1989 ...................................................................................37 Figure 19. Graphic representation of wetland resource areas in South Carolina, 1989 ........................................................37 Figure 20. Change in wetlands (as a percentage) converted to various land uses in South Carolina between 1982 and 1989 ....................................................................................................................................................................40 Figure 21. Conversion and loss of forested wetland in South Carolina, 1982-1989 ................................................................41 Figure 22. An example of wetland loss to “other upland” land use in Horry County, South Carolina ................................42 Figure 23. An illustration of major Federal land units in South Carolina ...............................................................................43 Figure 24. Metropolitan lands in South Carolina and losses of