Port of Georgetown to see more money, but is it enough?

The Port Of Georgetown will get more than $1 million in federal money to help with dredging the shipping channel

By: Rusty Ray | SCNow
Published: October 08, 2009

When Carolina Pacific announced this summer it would bring 45 new jobs in order to ship tens of thousands of tons of charcoal out of the Port of Georgetown, area economic development leaders pointed to the port as the main economic vehicle for the region.

"The jobs are a major financial impact in our economy and it affects us not only locally, but statewide," said Wayne Gregory with Georgetown County Economic Development.

Gregory and ports workers tell News13 that the more the port is used, the more money it can get from the federal government to pay for dredging the shipping the channel and other maintenance work.

Last week, the state ports authority announced the federal government would send more than $17 million to pay for improvements at the ports in Charleston and Georgetown, among other things. Georgetown would see just over $1 million of that.

David Schronce, director of the Port of Georgetown, told The Georgetown Times that the money isn't enough to even begin the actual dredging. He said there is significant work left to be done.

Schronce would not comment to News13, and instead directed questions to the state ports authority in Charleston.

Byron Miller with the S.C. Ports Authority said the problem with the Georgetown channel is that the approved depth of 27 feet is now up to 22 feet in some areas, because silt on the bottom has filled in over the years. Miller said this is a problem that is not an "overnight" fix, and the authority is committed to helping correct it. He also said this does not affect the port's ability to have ships come and go, like Carolina Pacific's ships.

Regardless, Gregory knows that if the channel isn't properly maintained, then valuable jobs and money could end up in someone else's backyard.
"If the shps can't come into Georgetown or Charleston, they are still going to come," Gregory said. "They just won't come to our ports. They'll be going to other states' ports, which helps other states create jobs. We need the jobs," he said.

Workers at the port in Georgetown tell News13 infrastructure improvements continue for the Carolina Pacific addition inside the port's property.