Lexington implements plan to keep streams clean
People in Lexington County will be seeing more and more no-dumping signs on neighborhood stormwater drains in coming weeks, according to The State.
The signs aim to help to keep waterways clean and keep citizens from dumping hazardous pollutants like motor oil and antifreeze into the water. Officials are not sure how many signs will be posted around the county, but a final count is planned as part of the initiative.
County environmental coordinator Synithia Williams said that efforts will be focused on major streams with pollution problems, such as Congaree Creek, Kinley Creek and Twelve Mile Creek, The State reported.
Silver dollar-sized markers will be placed on drains that feed into those streams, which will serve as “friendly reminders,” according to county spokeswoman Beverly Harris.
-Hannah Jeffrey, Assistant News Editor
Summer 6th-rainiest in city history
Columbia finished the summer with a meteorological record, according to The State.
This summer was Columbia’s sixth-wettest season in the 127 years records have been collected.
In June, July and August, Columbia Metropolitan Airport collected 24.89 inches of rain. The rainiest summer on record was 1971, with 29.27 inches.
The Greenville-Spartanburg area saw its second-wettest summer of all time, with 31.19 inches. This summer was second only to 1908, which had 33.33 inches.
Aside from record-setting rainfall, Columbia this summer saw a few other unusual weather occurrences, including the third-coldest daily maximum temperature and the fourth-warmest daily minimum temperatures.
-Hannah Jeffrey, Assistant News Editor
Historic Newberry news now available online
Newspapers from Newberry that date back nearly 200 years can now be accessed digitally, The State reported.
A 72-year stretch of papers, from 1865 to 1937, was recently put onto USC’s South Carolina Digital Newspaper Program after it was added to the Library of Congress website last month.
Individual pages from each issue are photographed using special equipment and placed on the server, where they can be accessed online.
When searching for specific people or events, key words can be typed into a search engine that will then display pages with relevant information highlighted.
Efforts have been focused on rural and African-American newspapers, mainly because they are less likely to be placed online.
-Hannah Jeffrey, Assistant News Editor