The meeting began promptly at 10 a.m., with Chairman Timmy Mallard assuring the roughly twenty Committee members and about thirty onlookers that it would be over by noon. He said that their goal for the meeting was to make a recommendation to the Berkeley-Charleston-Dorcester Council of Governments Board on how to handle applications for private wastewater treatment plants.
He introduced Clay Duffie of Mt. Pleasant Waterworks with the comment, “I think a solution to our pollution might be dilution.”
Duffie explained that pockets of Mt. P still use septic systems, including 99 in the Shem Creek area. Many of them have failed, and no action is taken by the town other than to notify them. Homes using gray water straight from a sink, shower, or toilet to water their lawn are considered to be “failing.” He estimated 1,479 failing homes in Mt. P, Sewee to Santee, and McClellanville. 70 percent of those people expressed interest in participating in a government-led septic management program.
That program would consist of either notifications and reminders for septic upkeep, or actual government action taken to maintain them for the homeowner, at a set fee.
“I don’t think we should be permitting the private systems,” said Duffie. “A public agency ought to operate these systems.”
When concerns about pharmaceuticals in drinking water rose, Duffie argued that levels of dangerous chemicals are higher in our carpets and homes than in drinking water, but said Mt. P is looking into using membrane technology to treat drinking water.
Duffie said that the cost of a government run septic upkeep program would be less than half of a centralized plant in a place like Awendaw, where the city is seeking a $28 million privately operated plant for it’s current 1,200 residents.
Lisa Hajjar with Ocean Coastal Resource Management then spoke about the options of decentralized plants, going into great detail about filtering options and technologies. Currently, 40 percent of South Carolinians use septic — they’re off the centralized treatment grid. She said the lack of oversight in South Carolina makes it a good thing that we haven’t pursued more private treatment plants yet. Private systems in the past have a history of failure, including a plant on the Ashley River operated by Carolina Water Systems that Dorchester County had to purchase. Several people brought up this plant over the meeting.
After Hajjar’s presentation, developer Hank Hofford spoke in favor of private plants. He hopes to build a development on Johns Island at River Road and Betsy Kerrison Blvd. that would utilize a plant designed by Orenco. He showed a jar of water treated by one of their systems.
“For enough money I’d drink it,” said Hofford, who went on to tout the environmental benefits of recycling water on the grounds and using it for landscaping, rather than treating it and dumping it into the harbor, where recent reports have shown contaminants in wastewater are effecting dolphins and fish.
Hofford also showed a jar of dirty water from a swamp, which he said “was the kind of water people are getting from the swamps in Awendaw.” Earlier, Duffie with Mt. P Waterworks had shown pictures of well pumps and outhouses still in use in Awendaw. One man yelled, “You know that’s true,” when Hofford presented the jar, while others began to talk and whisper that it was not.
Jane Lareau with the Coastal Conservation League raised the point that privately managing wastewater is fine, until the company goes bankrupt and leaves the rate payers and the government with the bill.
Ron Mitchum, COG Executive Director, then confronted Hofford with a quote in a packet of information Hofford distributed at the meeting that said privately managing wastewater was a “prescription for problems.” Mitchum was confused about Hofford’s application and speech that seemed in direct opposition to each other.
“You’re handing me a document that says this is a bad idea, but you’re asking me to approve a project,” said Mitchum. Hofford countered, “If I’m responsible for it, you can bet we’ll do it properly.” He also pointed out that he still owned many properties he’d built decades ago.
John Brubacher of the Awendaw Community Action Group rose and said that after forming, 130 people came to their meeting and opposed a centralized treatment plant.
Lisa Jones-Turansky of the Conservation League said that she hopes a public entity will remain responsible for managing any wastewater facilities.
Bill Wallace, mayor of Awendaw, expressed frustration that the County or City of Charleston would exercise authority over his town about whether or not they could build a centralized sewer.
“We’re not saying we’re going to be a bunch of cowboys out here running a sewer system when we have no idea how to do it,” said Wallace. “We’ll hire somebody who has the credentials.”
Mike Stinson, a representative of the company Awendaw wants to hire, Lowcountry Utilities, said that centralized sewer would cost homeowners in Awendaw $4,000 initially to tap in, and $40 a month after that. “A centralized plant is a big investment, and it’s not going to be walked away from,” he added.
Isaiah Simmons, a co-chair of the Awendaw Community Action Group, made an impassioned plea against the new sewer.
“I don’t see how a municipality that stretches over 15 miles with 472 homes scattered here and there could even consider a centralized plant of this nature,” said Simmons. “The only thing we’re going to bring is hardship to the citizens of that area. I’m not the most educated man that might stand up for my community, but I have sense enough to know when something’s going to hurt them. This is not going to help the person who has the outhouse.”
Committee Member Harmon Shade then said, “I’ve received about 50 emails on this issue, and they’re all the same email. It’s a waste of my time, this kind of spam, and I’d like to know who’s responsible for it. I don’t want to see it again. It takes a lot of time to delete all those emails.”
Chairman Tim Mallard confirmed he’d also received the emails. Jane Lareau and Lisa Jones-Turansky of CCL raised their hands, presumably to explain. (CCL sent an “action alert” to their members to send an email to the Committee members prior to the meeting - linked to from this blog yesterday). Mallard waved down their hands and said, “That’s not necessary.”
Jacquelyn Heyward, the mayor of Hollywood, then rose to talk about the need for better wastewater treatment in her town, citing phone calls on Christmas from citizens having septic problems. She said that Charleston Water System will stop serving Hollywood in 2015 and needs to find a new option.
A Charleston Water representative said the money wasn’t there to serve Hollywood in the future, but they’d help any way they can.
Committee member Chip Boling of Berkeley County said that technology wasn’t the issue, but who will oversee new systems, reiterating the worry that private companies could go under and leave maintenance to homeowners associations, which are often fluid.
The meeting ended with several Committee members expressing concern about past private treatment systems that have failed, and a clarification that their goal was simply to set a precedent for how the COG would handle future applications requesting private, in-house wastewater treatment.
Because it was already 12:15 p.m., Chairman Mallard set proposed that a recommendation be postponed until a meeting at 10 a.m. on Friday, April 11.
