|
The
Glendale Mill is just one of the many
ills
that once thrived along the creek. |
Paddling
the creek is just one of the many
recreational
uses Lawson's Fork offers |
Since
the creek attracted Spartanburg's
first
industry, water quality has always been
an
issue on the Lawson's Fork |
The Lawson's Fork is a
Piedmont stream that forms within sight of the Blue Ridge Mountains and
flows 29 miles before its confluence with the Pacolet River in eastern
Spartanburg County. Along the way, this "cultural highway"
rolls through five mill villages, behind a university campus and a
country club, under towering railroad trestles and through crumbling,
19th-century bridge abutments.
It streams past Revolutionary War battle sites, over four dams, and
beside an archeological site where artifacts have been discovered dating
back an estimated 9,000 years. It surges over an untold number of fallen
trees -- river birches, sycamores, poplars, and even red and white oak
-- which serve as natural bridges for wildlife, such as raccoons,
snakes, and opossums.
Lawson's Fork is the only stream in Spartanburg County with both
beginning and end within the county's boundaries, and its flood plain
creates the largest area of green space within urban Spartanburg. Water
that flows in Lawson's Fork eventually makes its way to the Atlantic
Ocean through a connected network of lakes and rivers that cross South
Carolina.
Two hundred years ago, a pristine Lawson's Fork attracted the first
industry in Spartanburg County. These included small mills that ground
corn for meal; early iron factories that made horseshoes, parts for
guns, and wagon hitches; and, finally, textile plants that made cloth
and yarn. Our city grew up around these factories, as did numerous
smaller communities, including Whitney, Drayton, Valley Falls, Inman,
and Glendale. The river also spawned large family parks where people
went for boating, swimming, and picnics.
Industry used the rocky shoals along Lawson's Fork to generate power
until the early 20th century, when larger, regional systems of
electricity took their place. As the century progressed, industry and
municipalities also increasingly used Lawson's Fork and other Piedmont
waterways to dispose of chemical waste and sewage. Many local people
remember the days when Lawson's Fork ran red or blue because of
industrial dyes coloring the water. The stream became unsafe for
swimming and fishing, and much of the aquatic life in the river died.
Today, Lawson's Fork is a river in recovery. The Clean Water Act, passed
by Congress in the 1970s, now requires industry and sewage systems to
pre-treat their waste before dumping it in the river. Many of the old
factories have now closed. Indeed, there are strong signs of rebirth in
the creek. Blue heron and deer have been spotted on its banks, and an
occasional fly fisherman practices his art on its waters. Groups of
concerned citizens are working to put the land along its banks into a
community trust, and historic sites are being preserved. Construction
will begin this year on the 10-mile Lawson's Fork Paddling Trail, which
will allow residents to travel the creek by canoe or kayak.
Still, the Lawson's Fork faces numerous issues and impacts. Scientists
now believe that 70 percent of the pollution in the nation's streams
comes from urban runoff. As our community grows and makes room for
neighborhoods and the places we like to shop, the Lawson's Fork loses
its protective forested buffers. When it rains, water runs across
parking lots, rooftops, farms, and backyards, carrying petroleum, lawn
chemicals, animal feces, and sediment into the river. Parts of the
Lawson's Fork are cloudy and unfriendly to aquatic life because of this.
The Lawson's Fork is currently listed by the state as one of the highest
priority watersheds in need of help. |
