‘We can’t ignore it anymore’: Horry County urges residents to help water drainage efforts
Horry County’s Stormwater Managment Department is working to clear out ditches and obstructions across the region to help floodwaters flow toward the ocean, but the staff needs more help.
On Tuesday, the county’s infrastructure and regulation committee met to address flooding issues and discuss stormwater needs ahead of crafting the Fiscal Year 2021 budget through the spring.
County Chair Johnny Gardner said addressing both stormwater and flooding issues are his main objectives during the budget creation process. He created a new task force to discuss potential solutions to both issues.
The flood problems facing Horry County are complex, but one way residents can help is to make sure they’ve given the county permission to do work on their property.
Horry County needs property owners to sign over an easement, which is basically a document saying Horry County has the right to do work on a portion of a resident’s property. These documents help ensure county staff can clear out waterflow barriers on private property.
“Horry County needs to educate the people to sign those easements. We are not trying to take your land,” Council Member Al Allen said. “Help your neighbor out, sign your easement.”
Stormwater Director Tom Roth said not having a permanent easement signed makes it harder for his staff to do work that benefits people down stream from a property contributing to flooding.
Clogged-up ditches or streams can cause water to pool up, leading to flash flooding in yards or along roadways as the congestion slows the water can exit the area.
Roth said the easement will be used only for stormwater purposes by Horry County and cannot be transferred to any other entity like a utility company looking to lay a pipe.
If you haven’t signed an easement, you can visit Horry County’s government center in Conway to start the process.
While fixing ditch drainage and getting easements is important, County Council Member Danny Hardee said more needs to be done to remove debris and trash out the rivers so that the whole water system in Horry County empties into the ocean faster without obstruction.
“The water could get to the river so fast it will have nowhere to go. We have to get the Waccamaw clean,” Hardee said. “We have to get the main sources clean.”
In addition, the stormwater department does not have enough staff or equipment to keep up with demand. Currently, the department has a backlog of more than 200 service calls.
Council Member Bill Howard said the county needs to do whatever it takes to address flooding and stormwater.
“We’ve been behind the last five years. We’ve always discussed this and we’ve ignored it. We can’t ignore it anymore,” Howard said.
