Letters: We don’t need to poison Lake Murray

Recently I encountered two workers spraying weed killer down a power line near our home on Lake Murray. The power line was clear of vegetation so I questioned the workers. They said they had been contracted by SCE&G to spray glyphosate.

Most of us know glyphosate as Round Up, though the chemical is common in many weed killers. What most folks don’t know is that Round Up has been banned in several countries because glyphosate is suspected of being harmful to the environment, and especially to bees, which pollinate about one-third of our fruits and vegetables.

The label on Round Up reads, “To protect the environment, do not allow to enter or run off into storm drains, drainage ditches, gutters, or surface waters.” Lake Murray is surrounded by drainage ditches, and scouring rains are common.

I know SCE&G views the lake as a power generator, but the company cannot fairly make claims about protecting the shoreline while simultaneously contracting to spray glyphosate adjacent to the water and drainage areas.

Is it really necessary to dump this toxin and “probable carcinogen” into the environment? Or just expedient?