AIKEN --- For the past few decades, Aiken city officials and the Hitchcock Woods Foundation have been on a quest to find a solution to the erosion in Sand River Canyon.
Now, with help from the Clemson University Center for Watershed Excellence, the solution might be at hand.
On Thursday, after a nearly yearlong ecological study of the 2,200-acre preserve, the center presented an overview of a proposed plan to restore Sand River.
"From the Woods standpoint, we are excited about seeing a plan of this scope being brought to the table," said Randy Wolcott, the chairman of the foundation.
The proposed plan calls for the installation of two 10-foot-diameter pipes in the canyon. The dual pipes -- one for water detention and another for storm water flow -- would run for about 7,500 feet, channeling the water to Barton's Pond.
The ravine would be filled in to hide the pipes and to help shore up the canyon's walls.
"What we're talking about is doing something very similar to some of the other suggestions that we had in the past that we had worked out with (the foundation)," City Manager Roger LeDuc said.
The city earmarked $3.5 million from the local options sales tax to fund the restoration project, but it might only be enough to get the engineering started.
The center's proposed project could cost between $12 million and $18 million, depending on construction costs.
Mr. LeDuc said funding could come from a variety of sources, including government grants and the 1-cent sales tax that will be voted on in two years -- around the time construction could start if the plan is approved by the foundation's board and others.
The erosion is the result of 40 years of storm water drainage. Drainage from the downtown and South Boundary watersheds has eroded the canyon's banks, creating sheer cliffs. As large quantities of fast-moving storm water deteriorated the sandy river bank, it carried silt downstream, infiltrating wetlands.
Barton Pond, once a favorite fishing and swimming area, is filled with sediment from the river, and Cathedral Isle swamp is now being affected.
Mayor Fred Cavanaugh said about 80 percent of the water running into the woods comes from the city.
"It's the city's storm waters coming from the heart of the city that is causing the problems," Mr. LeDuc said. "We're concerned about it because we are the instigators, and we need to deal with it and do the right thing."
The project will need the cooperation of several agencies in addition to the center, the foundation and the city. Among them are Aiken County, the state highway department, and the state Department of Health and Environmental Control.
"We look at this as a wonderful alliance and a great opportunity that will be a model and be something that the city can be proud of, the county can be proud of, and the state can be proud of," Mr. Wolcott said.
Stabilizing the canyon and stopping the erosion is only a small part of Clemson's overall restoration study, which is being spearheaded by Dr. Gene Eidson, whose organization, the Southeastern Natural Sciences Academy, restored Phinizy Swamp.
Reach Michelle Guffey at (803) 648-1395, ext. 110, or michelle.guffey@augustachronicle.com.
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