DHEC grants permit to extend City Marina docks

COLUMBIA - Supporters of the effort to expand the Charleston City Marina docks further into the Ashley River got their wish today when the state Department of Health and Environmental Control backed a permit for the project.

The approval is a setback for opponents of the expansion who favored more study and exploration into dredging, over a deeper incursion into the river.

The losing side can appeal to the state's Administrative Law Court once the DHEC Board formally publishes its decision.

While federal permits still need to be approved for the project, which is likely, supporters of the expansion said they can move forward with their plans. "I think the board made the right decision," said Robbie Freeman, managing partner of the City Marina Co.

The board's vote upholds an earlier decision approving a reconfiguring of the marina so its footprint juts 140 feet farther into the water.

The marina's management has sought the permit for eight years, in part to compensate for the loss of at least 40 slips due to silting near the shore as the silt piled up over time.

Opponents say shifting the channel west will move boat traffic too close to a mooring field on the river's opposite side, taking away the state's deep water.

"Naturally deep water is going away," said David Williams, of Ashley River Properties LLC.

Cost estimate for the expansion is between $5 million and $7 million.

Work likely will begin by 2014 because the permit is good for only five years.