Stormwater rule changes give and take – and raise doubts – Coastal Observer

Stormwater rule changes give and take – and raise doubts – Coastal Observer

Changes to Georgetown County stormwater regulations would increase protection for shellfish areas, but reduce water quality standards in other areas. County Council delayed its final vote on the changes this week in order to schedule a public hearing, but two citizens groups said the county needs to rethink the proposal. “This is more than a failure to have a public hearing,” said Cindy Person, the attorney representing Keep It Green and Preserve Murrells Inlet. “The bottom line is that this proposed ordinance not only fails to accomplish the stated goal of strengthening stormwater requirements for the entire county, it actually does the opposite.” At  issue  are the  requirements  for “municipal separates storm sewer systems,” known as MS4s, that operate under a federal statute that is administered by the state. There is one MS4 in the county, and it covers the area around Murrells Inlet. The stormwater ordinance currently applies throughout the county. The  proposed change to the ordinance and the design standards would distinguish between the MS4 area and the rest of the county. But it would also expand the MS4 standards to areas within 1,000 feet of shellfish beds or to work east of Highway 17 that discharges stormwater within 1,000 feet of those beds. “This is an excellent goal that citizens wholeheartedly support; however the proposed ordinance does not accomplish that goal,” Person told council in a letter on behalf of her clients. She said Pawleys Island and Litchfield would no longer be covered by the ordinance. Carla Harvey, the county director Public Services, which includes the stormwater division, said the reference to shellfish beds and work east of Highway 17 would address that concern. But she acknowledged that other areas of the county would now only need to meet the minimum state standards under the proposed change. Harvey said that the wetlands protection ordinance that the county adopted earlier this year will help reduce stormwater runoff so that will balance changes to the stormwater ordinance. The changes will also let the county focus its resources on the MS4 area, she said. Changes to the stormwater ordinance were prompted by Council Member Bob Anderson after residents along Pawleys Creek raised concerns over a residential development that proposed to use an underground storage system for stormwater. Those systems are addressed in the draft revisions to the county stormwater manual. Anderson said he is not concerned about the language that gives special attention to the MS4 area. “The only area that needs the stringent requirements is the MS4 area, that’s where the shellfish are,” he said. “I don’t have a problem with divorcing the rest of the county from the MS4 area. We have several areas of control over the rest of the county.” The state Department of Environmental Services is revising its criteria for designating MS4s, Harvey said. It’s likely that Pawleys Island and Litchfield will be included. Anderson said he spoke with the DES director Myra Reece about the changes to the county ordinance and that she was supportive. The county could also specify that Pawleys Island and Litchfield be covered by the MS4 requirements, he said. “I expect that the conversation we’ll be having in the next few weeks will be about expanding the MS4,” Harvey said. More changes are needed to the county’s stormwater management, Anderson said. They are needed to address flooding and water quality. To reduce flooding, he wants the county to limit the use of fill to change the topography of development sites that is coupled with the use of underground retention systems. The county also needs to review the amount of impervious surface area it allows in developments, he said. The county also needs to review standards for water quality to make sure stormwater that is released into waterways doesn’t carry harmful bacteria and chemicals, Anderson said. “We’re not going to solve it in a short period of time,” he said. “We’ve got to get this right because it’s a big deal.” He added that he believes there is support on County Council for improvements in stormwater management. “This is science, not politics,” Anderson said.