Company bolsters stormwater management

Stormwater management officials have a new defense against flooding and pollution with the enlistment of Wapro, Inc., an international flood management technology company that has installed equipment in coastal areas including Beaufort County.

Charlie Sullivan, the South Carolina representative of Wapro, Inc., gave a presentation on the company at the February 19th meeting of the Stormwater Management Utility Board and talked about a product called the Wastop in-line check valve, which the company used in its Beaufort County work. An in-line check valve regulates stormwater flow by way of a membrane that operates by pressure differential. This technology is welcomed for the high efficiency and for the potential to replace aging stormwater equipment.

According to Beaufort County Stormwater Program Manager Taylor Brewer, there has been an initiative underway at Public Works to replace flap gates designed to regulate stormwater flow.
“For the past couple of years, we’ve noticed that they’re wearing out and causing problems,” Brewer said. “Obviously, you don’t want water coming back into your stormwater system.”

With the wooden flap gates deteriorating, Public Works began seeking solutions and found one that provided an alternative to replacing old flap gates with new ones. The connection with Wapro, Inc. was first made by former Beaufort County stormwater official Katie Herrera.

“Katie Herrera came upon this technology and instantly realized its value,” Brewer explained. “It was about two or three years ago that she started talking to Charlie and, from there, it was just assessing where would be the best case to try these valves out.”

The first installation of the technology, a Wastop in line check valve, was done in 2023.
“It worked flawlessly,” Brewer said. “The installation was fantastic. Everything worked just the way that we thought it would.”

It worked so well that they decided to look at having an even larger valve installed at Backache Acres in Seabrook.

Brewer expressed Public Works’ optimism in the potential of this valve technology to be a viable long-term solution to flooding issues and one that can continue to expand.

“We think it’s something that will be utilized going forward instead of replacing flap gates we know are going to wear out in ten years.”

Channing Heiss is a freelance writer and a member of the Beaufort County disAbilities Coalition.