The Water! So Where Do We Go from Here?
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In this issue… • What’s next on the water issue? • U.S. Army Corps of Engineers presents plan • Who’s AECOM and should we care? …and more September 2013 FREE The Newspaper of Edisto Island and Edisto Beach, South Carolina FREE Vol. 8 No. 9 The Water! So where do we go from here? Recently I sat down with Bob Doub and talked water. Interestingly, he likes to talk about water. He should. He has been involved with it for over 21 years. Bob has also served in the Army National Guard and Reserve and retired as a Captain. He has a commanding presence — one he apparently acquired from his military service — which you will appreciate when you talk to him. WATER! (continued on page 2) Army Corps Presents Storm Plan The Town of Edisto Beach and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, AECOM asked It’s held a public meeting to present their recommended plan to reduce for town meeting and gets it. politicking the effects of a hurricane or storm to the front beach area of Edisto Beach. The United States Senate passed But did they “get it”? time again a law establishing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) A meeting was requested Norm Anderson, AECOM Vice Four of our local and a draft of the integrated report by AECOM in a phone call President of Design-Build gave the citizens have thrown and Environmental Assessment to Councilman Mann. Mann presentation that lasted over an their hats into the ring has been made available for the confirmed that AECOM had hour. Anderson again confirmed for Edisto Beach Town public to review from Aug. 19 to contacted him and he passed the that he contacted Tommy Mann and Council. Babe Hutto and Sept. 18 on the internet and can be request on to the mayor. Mayor asked for an opportunity to present Tommy Mann will be viewed or downloaded at: http:// Lyons approved it and set the time to Town Council and the water running for re-election and www.sac.usace.army.mil/Missions/ and date for the council and the committee their capabilities and Susan Hornsby will make a CivilWorks/NEPADocuments. water committee to meet. The a different approach to the Town’s come-back bid to return to This study suggest several mayor repeatedly stated the meeting water problems. Anderson offered her position on the council. alternatives to reduce damage was being done at no cost to the background on the company, stating Patty Smyer is a new comer from a storm to the beachfront and town and asked specifically that it that AECOM is the world’s largest to politics and is eager to ultimately recommends the be published in the Edisto News so engineering company with be involved. CORPS (continued on page 6) that “it didn’t cost the town a dime”. AECOM (continued on page 5) Page 2 The Edisto News September 2013 WATER! (continued from page 1) grown by 1.5 million gallons each year. That’s a Bob started his career working for Nivens 3,000,000 (3million gallon) increase. That means Engineering on a project for the Town of Holly Hill; the two storage tanks, that total 300,000 gallons he was responsible for updating the Town’s water must refill three to five times per day. What we system; drinking water and wastewater. He helped need is a 500,000 gallon elevated tank. Therein create a study of the system as well as managed the lies the problem, no one wants to see it, no one installation of a 500,000 elevated water tank. After wants to pay for it, so nothing gets done. The 5 years with Nivens Engineering, Bob was hired mayor and others have constantly reminded us by the Town of Holly Hill as the manager of the about the potential disaster of a house fire in the Utility Department in Holly Hill where he spent middle of the tourist season. No one really knows an additional 5 years and received the SCRWA if we would have the water to fight it. If the tanks “Wastewater Operator of the Year” award in 1999. were low, the pumps would be hard pressed to Bob’s current position is the Utilities Director at the Bob Doub has received numerous Starfish Awards. deliver the water to fight the fire. Town of Edisto Beach, where he has been for the But, disasters aside, we are using more water past 11 years. He currently possesses an “A” Water hydrants on the available six inch or greater lines. than ever before. Although we are approaching a Distribution, “B” Biological Wastewater, “C” Water The town has two storage tanks, the elevated total build-out of available properties, the houses Treatment and “C” Wastewater Collection license, tank at town hall that holds 100,000 gallons and that are being built or are replacing the older not to mention an Asbestos Certification for the the 200,000 gallon ground level tank on Palmetto ones, are much larger and in turn use more water. Public Works sector. Road. The ground level tank has two wells and The strain on the system is increasing by the When we started our conversation, I asked two booster pumps to push the water across the upsurge in use. The old lines and valves are failing about the history of the system. According causeway and onto the beach. The elevated tank with greater regularity and some of the pumps are to records, the Town of Edisto Beach was uses gravity to push the water through the system. not as efficient as they were. incorporated in 1970 and in 1976 started buying The booster pumps were replaced recently after According to Doub, we need to implement some of the small water systems that local continued problems and now are in relatively the scheduled repairs as outlined in the Capital residents had pulled together on their own. good shape. The large tanks are routinely Improvement Plan. Each year Bob sets a list of This included parts of Jungle Shores, areas of inspected and flushed on a yearly rotation. The goals that he determines are the highest priorities Wyndham, Bay Point and the Sea Island Water tanks are in good shape at present. to keep the town running. However, there is one Company which owned the Lions Club well that So what do we need? Most desperately, we problem; money. He has a budget, and if something is still in use today. need to increase our storage and well pumping fails or has to be repaired, that takes away from The present system includes 26 miles of pipe capacity. The pump at Bay Creek can run at 550 the objectives he had set. So getting to a preventive ranging in size from 10 inches down to two inches. gallons per minute (gpm) and the Docksite pump maintenance program is very difficult. Some of it is the original pipe from the ‘70s and can run at 265 gpm. The others are in between. The cost of maintaining the town’s utilities is those are in need of attention. The larger original The old pump at the Lions Club only produces 85 surprising: pipes are made of cement and asbestos and the gallons per minute. We need two more wells that • Electricity can run as high as $5,500 or more joints and valves are failing on a regular basis. On can run at about 400 gpm or better. each month. Point Street, the smaller lines were replaced last As for storage there is a problem during the • SC Department of Health and Environmental month with 6 inch lines and 6 new fire hydrants busiest parts of the season. For the last two years Control (DHEC) user fees — $18,000 were installed. The town has a total of 147 fire the water use around the Fourth of July has • Maintaining the water tanks and inspections — $17,800 • Fire hydrant service and testing $6,000 • Then there is the cost of licensing each utility employee — $1,000 each. Utility employees are licensed, not certified. They go to school and take a test. It requires 28 hours of classroom instruction then they have to pass the exam. And they must have continuing education on a regular basis. So even if we can’t drink the water, we still need it. And if we don’t start taking care of the pipes and pumps and valves, they are going to fail. We can fix them at the time of our choosing or we can Band-Aid the system until it totally fails. As Bob Doub says,”The wells and pumps are like the heart of the Town of Edisto. If they fail, just like the heart in a human body, the community dies.” Imagine having no water at all! When not working, Bob enjoys outdoor activities and the beach with his family. That include his lovely wife of 24 years, Harriett, three children and five grandchildren. The Edisto News September 2013 Page 3 Water, water everywhere, but not a drop fit to drink! Recent rains have caused 1. Dispose of old tires, buckets, localized flooding around parts of aluminum cans, plastic Edisto Beach and Edisto Island. The sheeting or other refuse saturated ground caused the water that can hold water. Empty to stand for most of the day after accumulated water from trash a recent downpour that dropped cans, boats, wheel barrows, pet about three inches in a little over dishes, and flower pot bottoms. two hours. Utility crews made If possible, turn these items certain that drainage ditches were over when they are not in use.