Six forums held by the state Department of Natural Resources late last summer show that boater education is a top public concern in South Carolina.
According to a report from DNR, both forum and online respondents agreed resoundingly with the statement, "Boating education should be required for an individual to operate a boat."
One such meeting - held July 28, 2015, in Manning - featured Melissa Grice, who is pushing legislation with the help from Sen. Kevin Johnson to make Breathalyzers mandatory for watercraft operators for all incidents on South Carolina lakes.
That forum was the first of six that were ultimately held across the state to discuss new policies both the agency and state legislators were looking at for 2016. The department reported 13 boating-related deaths in 2015, one of the reasons for looking at such changes.
DNR Director Alvin A. Taylor said South Carolina is the eighth largest state in the country in terms of boat registrations, but is only behind California, Michigan, Texas and Florida in watercraft incidents.
Taylor said the state Senate instructed DNR to conduct the public hearings to gather input regarding boating safety concerns. Aside from Manning, meetings were held in Conway, Charleston, Clover, Clemson and Chapin.
"We did these community forums about 12 years ago, the last time we looked at updating our lake laws," Taylor said. "So we are here to do this again, and get a lot of community input and awareness during this process."
Grice was one of two parents hit by tragedy on Lake Marion in 2014 to speak at last year's forum.
"Everything I do in pursuit of this goal is for my Milli," said Grice, whose 19-year-old daughter, Millicent McDonald, was killed in May 2014 in a jet ski wreck near the Taw Caw area of Lake Marion.
"She was a girl who was getting her life together, and she was just enjoying a fun day on the lake until someone took that away from her, and took her away from me and my family," Grice said.
Grice said the proposed Milli's Law will require mandatory Breathalyzer tests after any and all watercraft incidents on state lakes. Taylor said that DNR can now require Breathalyzers if law enforcement officers with the agency suspect there has been drinking during the operation of a watercraft.
"What I'm saying is why not require the Breathalyzer and remove all doubt?" Grice said. "Most law enforcement offices or nearby jails have the equipment to do the test."
Shawn Bordeaux, father of a 21-year-old Sumter woman killed in a 2014 boating wreck, said he doesn't want to "mess up the lake for anyone," but that he would like to see some type of speed limit imposed, at the very least at night.
"I'm an outdoorsman," he said. "But if it's dark and you have no headlights, you don't need to be going as fast as you think you should on these waters."
Bordeaux said his daughter, Hailey Bordeaux, was sitting in a boat with three friends. The boat's engine was off, but its lights were on.
"The guy who hit her was 38 and he was running extremely fast in the dark," Bordeaux said. "My 21-year-old daughter died of a broken neck that night."
Like many surveyed last year during the DNR forums - questionnaires were also placed online - Bordeaux said he would like to see more DNR law enforcement presence on Lake Marion.
"Another important issue raised at each forum was the need for more officers on the water enforcing boating laws," a release from DNR said. "Participants noted that, to be effective, any change in boating laws will likely need to be accompanied by an increase in the overall number of enforcement officers."
The forums also showed that topics like boating under the influence of drugs or alcohol; DNR and private buoys; and vessel lighting were also concerns shared by the public at-large.
And like Bordeaux, respondents also wished for a nighttime speed limit. Bordeaux also voiced concerns about lighting.
"The lights are antiquated," he said. "They're really dim. You can't see them any differently from house lights until you're right up on them. They have the new LED lights that are much brighter."
Local boater Badge Baker was one of many at July's forum in Manning who stressed boater education before creating more laws.
"Creating more laws won't keep accidents from happening," Baker said. "I see a lot of crazy things on the lake. But I think education should be more of an issue. It should be mandatory, like it is in many states."
Resident Dawn Huffman agreed, saying the state requires a driver's license for automobile oepration; why shuld it not require one for boating?
"Right now, there is a test you take, but you can take it online," she said. "Why not have something where you take it like a driving test, where you can't have the answers right in front of you? If you're 9 and at home, you can take the test at home on a computer. I teach 9 year olds all day, and they have no fear and know no consequences. I think you should at least move it up to 16."
Paula McNair was one resident who also called for more DNR law enforcement presence on local lakes.
"There's not enough of them on our lake here," she said. "It's just too big."
A comprehensive summary of the meetings and survey can be viewed at www.dnr.sc.gov/pubs/BoatingSafetyForumsFinalReport.pdf.
