Hitting the lake? SC DNR working to keep boaters safe under Governor’s order

LEXINGTON COUNTY, S.C. (WOLO) –Headed on the water this weekend?

 It’s been a little over a week since Governor Henry McMaster reopened public boat ramps across the state.

Officers with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) say most people out on the water have followed the rules laid out in the Governor’s executive order.

The sound of motors revving on the waves this early in the year is something most officers with the South Carolina DNR don’t usually hear.

“Usually in April, you just see a fishing crowd and some residents out in the afternoons, but right now we’re seeing numbers that you’d usually see in June,” said First Sgt. Hunter Robinson with the SCDNR. 

Last Friday was the first day in weeks some boaters could use public boat ramps under a new executive order from Governor McMaster.

The order allows for no more than two people on a boat at one time, with the exception of family members who are following social distancing guidelines.

So far, officers say most boaters have followed the order without any issues.

“We’re seeing families together, but we still come across groups that aren’t family and they’re pulling up on beaches and anchoring, so we’re trying to be out there to confront those and help break up anything that might cause a spread,” First Sgt. Robinson said.

The DNR has been working with other agencies across the state to make sure boaters are following the Governor’s order and making sure people are having a safe time out on the water.

“This is something that’s temporary, we don’t know how long temporary is, but in the meantime, we’re just trying to get the spread of the virus knocked down for now so people can go back and enjoy things more like they’re used to,” First Sgt. Robinson said.

The DNR says beaching or rafting boats on sandbars, islands, lakeshores, or riverbanks is still prohibited, and that boats are only allowed to anchor if they are being used for fishing.