Posted on March 3, 2025
GEORGETOWN COUNTY, S.C. — The City of Georgetown has been faced with the question of having a single federal dredging project or starting a new one in addition to the one given by the state.
The federal Inner Harbor dredging project in Georgetown is funded by a large sum of federal money procured by Sen. Lindsey Graham. The project has been a priority since 2008, and it’ll finally get underway in 2026.
The spending package by the state is a great start for the city council, but federal dredging was not something the city was expecting.
City Administrator Scott Whittier gave the city council an option to dredge outside the federal channel and put 29 moorings alongside the federal part of the dredging. Moorings are where boats attach to anchors when they are docked.
“The city can dredge outside of its federal channel at its own expense. There may be a potential saving if the city does dredge at the same time as with the federal project,” said Whittier.
Whittier said it was a way to save money, but the question of if it would sink or swim when it comes to the greater good of Georgetown still stood.
Mayor Carol Jayroe wasn’t up for the moorings and instead wanted to focus on public docking.
“It’s too complicated for a town our size. We need to concentrate on the inner harbor dredging, so boats can get back here and focus on public dockage that we have to build sooner rather than later,” said Jayroe.
To Jayroe, 29 moorings were just not economically possible, and the federal dredging needed to continue by itself.
“We did our due diligence on it, we know that it’s not something right now that the City of Georgetown can afford, and we have lots of other things that are more pricey,” said Jayroe.
“I’m just thinking of what 29 piers would cost — versus 29 buoys — because we have businesses that have offered their sea wall areas to install finger piers there,” said City Councilman Jim Clements.
“Next year, we would need to budget about $1.3 million to do the dredging,” said Whittier.
The federal money does not go directly to the city or county, but instead, goes directly to the Army Corps of Engineers.
The Harborwalk Marina docks in Georgetown County
City of Georgetown administrator Scott Whittier speaking on federal funding of dredge
