Stormwater solutions addressed at board meeting

Beaufort County stormwater officials addressed topics at last month’s meeting of the Beaufort County Stormwater Management Utility Board that are expected to come up again when they meet June 10.
These include presentations on the use of pervious construction materials and a proposed buyout program for distressed properties, as well as an update on the ongoing Alljoy drainage study and other Beaufort County projects.

The issue of favoring pervious over impervious building materials came up during a presentation by Courtney Kimmel of the Port Royal Sound Foundation. She explained there is a 10% maximum use of impervious materials in a subwatershed, after which there is potential for environmental degradation. Kimmel said she has been meeting with various agencies on these issues and that, while some are lagging, she is hopeful and believes some officials are beginning to understand the need to act.

Chairman Marc Feinberg announced during his discussion with Kimmel that he has been taking photographs of areas where pervious materials have been used and is preparing a presentation for the June meeting on the possibilities for local use of those materials.

The issue has been discussed many times during the past few years, most recently regarding the sidewalk, parking lot and boat landing projects at Alljoy.

The buyout program also will be the subject of a June presentation by Stormwater Manager Taylor Brewer. It is a program she has been working on with colleagues at Public Works. Under the voluntary program, Beaufort County would purchase properties from willing sellers. The land would either be returned to a natural state or enhanced as best management practice sites, such as stormwater gardens. Before making plans to implement the program, officials took steps to verify it would be legal. Brewer said officials already have been approached by people expressing interest in the program.

She also used her report to introduce a new online stormwater dashboard coming to the county’s website that will allow residents to contact stormwater officials and track the progress of public works projects through maps. The dashboard is expected to go live this summer. Officials hope the feature will alleviate previous communication frustrations by providing residents with more efficient updates.

Meanwhile, Brewer has been reporting regularly on the Alljoy drainage study, telling the board last month that project managers from SeamonWhiteside had completed their inventory of stormwater assets in the Alljoy area. They are now working on repairs and upgrades.

Brewer said officials are looking at “gray infrastructure,” such as pipes that need to be upsized, as well as areas where “green infrastructure,” such as bioswales, would help filter runoff. Crews also are cleaning ditches and culverts. She also reviewed other drainage projects and nature enhancement efforts in Beaufort County and briefly discussed efforts to improve the stormwater fee structure.

The board’s June 10 meeting will be at 2 p.m. at 100 Ribaut Road in Beaufort.

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