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The Sparkleberry Swamp consists of approximately 17,000 acres in the northern portion of Lake Marion and in the Upper Santee Swamp. The South Carolina Chapter of the Sierra Club has designated it a "Special Place" because it is an environmentally sensitive area. It is home to many species of wildlife including a vast number of waterfowl.
The SCDOT recognizes the value of the Sparkleberry Swamp, not only to the habitat it provides but also to the recreational opportunities it affords to many people. Due to this awareness and sensitivity, we have attempted to design the Briggs-DeLaine-Pearson Connector in an effort to accentuate the aesthetic quality and natural beauty of the area. The SCDOT believes this will be accomplished through continued coordination with interested environmental groups, federal and state agencies, and most importantly - the general public.
SCDOT has concluded the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) and received the Record of Decision (ROD). The new bridge will completely span the entire wetland area of the Sparkleberry Swamp from the 100-year floodplain limits and will not result in the filling of any wetlands within the swamp. However, the new roadway will impact several isolated, non-contiguous wetlands located in the surrounding uplands. These impacts total approximately 3.29 acres.
There are several Endangered, Threatened and Species of Concern identified within an 8-mile corridor on either side of the proposed alignments. Within the corridor are nesting sites for the Bald Eagle (Threatened), colonies of Colonial Wading Birds (Concern), red-cockaded woodpecker (Endangered), Canby's dropwort (Endangered) and the waters of Lake Marion are known to contain the Shortnose Sturgeon (Endangered). However, the alignments under consideration pose no direct impact to any recorded sites and are located approximately two (2) miles from both the closest nesting site of the Bald Eagle and Colonial Wading Bird. Based on communication with the S. C. Department of Natural Resources, several Shortnose Sturgeon are currently being tracked through the use of telemetry within this area of the lake. As a result, SCDOT is investigating construction techniques to mitigate impacts on the sturgeon population.
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