‘Leave them be’: Alligators find home in Holly Hill ditches

At least two alligators have been spotted in drainage ditches near Old State Road, according to several local officials.

Holly Hill Police Chief Josh Detter said he’s seen two different alligators, but not together.

The largest alligator is estimated to be six feet long.

It seems to hang out in a drainage pipe under Old State Road. Family Dollar is on one side of the street and First Baptist Church Holly Hill is on the other side.

“It likes to come out and sun,” Detter said.

Detter said he’s also seen otters and beavers in the drainage ditches around town.

A smaller alligator was reportedly seen in a ditch behind an Old State Road home closer to Gilway Street.

Detter has been at the helm of the police department for nearly a decade.

Up until recently, he’d received only two calls about alligators in town.

Within the past month, however, he’s received 10 reports of alligator sightings.

Callers usually say, “Oh my God, I just saw an alligator!”

He said most callers seem to sound a little afraid but curious.

“It’s something new, not really expected,” he said.

Detter said the alligators aren’t posing any nuisance to the public.

He called the S.C. Department of Natural Resources a couple of weeks ago seeking advice about what to do, if anything.

If an alligator comes on land and tries to be friendly or aggressive toward humans or pets, then it may be considered a nuisance.

Detter asks the public to leave the alligators alone and not to feed them.

“Steer clear of them,” Holly Hill Mayor Billy Chavis said.

Some residents are blaming the alligators on the construction of two new subdivisions, he said.

Chavis said that’s not the case.

The town’s wastewater treatment plant is located near Home Branch, which feeds into the expansive Four Hole Swamp.

“The swamp has gators,” Chavis said.

He said all the town’s culvert pipes are open and the ditches have been cleaned, to an extent.

He believes a couple of alligators have made their way into the town via the drainage system.

“Leave them be,” Chavis said.

Chavis also noted that the new subdivisions have built retention ponds and there hasn’t been any disturbance to the alligators’ natural habitats.

Melvin Fogle, a 25-year veteran of the Holly Hill Public Works department, said it isn’t unusual to see “a good many” alligators near the town’s wastewater treatment plant.

As far as an alligator or two getting into the town’s ditches, “That ain’t good,” he said.

He also noted the alligators are creeping into town from Four Hole Swamp.

Bryan Blitch, who also works for the town’s public works department, said, “About three weeks ago I was edging the sidewalks and looked over and saw him. He’s been there ever since.”

According to SCDNR’s website, “The presence of alligators alone does not qualify it to be a nuisance, even if it is located in an unexpected place. If left alone, most alligators will move on.”

“A nuisance alligator is one that has lost its fear of humans (as a result of feeding), may cause harm to people or property, and/or is trapped in a place it’s not supposed to be,” the agency states.

“Feeding alligators is illegal. Feeding fish, turtles, birds and other wildlife, as well as disposing of fish guts or carcasses in water bodies alligators may live in, is indirectly feeding alligators and can have the same result,” the agency continues.