By HEATHER RUPPE
Edisto Beach Town Council voted during its February town council meeting to ban its residents and guests from feeding deer, with officials saying some deer are becoming aggressive toward pets and people.
According to information provided by town officials, the town’s deer population is also growing, causing an increase in auto accidents. Additionally, humans feeding deer creates a break in the deer’s natural ability to feed themselves, making them more dependent on humans for food. Their natural food sources are acorns and foliage. For these reasons, and for claims of deer becoming aggressive, council voted to ban the feeding of deer on the beachfront community.
Anyone who violates the new town ordinance will be issued a civil penalty and a $50 fine.
Edisto is also known for Piebald deer, a specific type of deer that has a recessive strain. It is a rare and genetic abnormality in whitetail deer.
In other Edisto Beach news:
Edisto Beach Town Council has set its goals and “must do” list for the coming year. At the top of this list is beach renourishment planning, which includes expanding the role of a town lobbyist and developing a “plan B” for funding renourishment should the town lose its current funding from the USACE plan.
Council also wants to manage future wastewater tap approval conditions and they are looking at possibly installing automated read meters for parking. The third, and final, “must do” plan for Edisto Beach is to prioritize the town’s master recreation plan, which includes adding more bike trails, constructing new walking trails and improving playgrounds.
Under its “should do” list, council wants to do a study of its interior lagoon and reevaluate the town’s garbage collection process.
Drinking water results
The results of a drinking water survey at Edisto Beach are in, and it says that Edisto Beach residents have safer water than 90 percent of other water systems during the same monitoring period.
The results show that the town is in the 90th percentile for lead and copper. The survey was done recently as part of a semi-annual study that monitors the town’s drinking water. These results are based on a December 2021 sampling of the town’s water that looks for lead and copper in the water.
The next sampling for water testing will occur June 1 of 2024 through Sept. 30 of 2024.
