Resident input requested for $6 million drainage improvement project
by Jenny Peterson | Current Staff Writer
Laura Hooton, manager at Dulce Banana and Center Street Coffee, has worked at the locations for six years. She has a moniker for the businesses during a rainstorm.
“I jokingly call it our ‘lakefront location,’” Hooton says.
According to Hooton, water regularly pools on East Cooper Street at Center Street, between Dulce Banana and Mr. John’s Beach Store during a heavy rainstorm.
A new $6 million grant-funded drainage improvement project planned for Center Street is hoping to improve those conditions; the project aims to help with stormwater flooding along Center Street by replacing and upgrading all the stormwater pipes with larger diameter pipes underneath Center Street and replace some pipes underneath intersecting streets on the east side of the island.
The large-scale project would require tearing up Center Street, mostly under the sidewalks, ideally done in phases to avoid the height of summer season.
A meeting for business owners to learn more and ask questions was held on Wednesday, Jan. 24 at the Folly Beach Library in a drop-in format with several project boards spread throughout the library in stations. The boards outlined the island’s existing flooding issues, showed where the existing pipes are located under the street and how the project would improve flooding.
Business owners were able to ask engineers involved in the project specific questions. A meeting for residents will be held on Feb. 7 in a similar format.
Following community meetings and reviewing feedback, a design will be proposed as well as a timeline for the project later this year.
The current concrete pipes are around 12-18 inches in diameter in some areas, according to South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) engineers. Larger concrete pipes could be up to 42 inches in diameter and would hold more rainwater and more efficiently move water to the existing outfall on Center Street, engineers say.
“There will be bigger pipes, more capacity and more flood protection from stormwater runoff,” said Christopher Pyman, project manager with Weston & Sampson, the engineering firm that would be working on the project. “Anything (draining) to Center Street is going to be upsized as well.”
The $6 million project is funded by the South Carolina Infrastructure Investment Program (SCIIP) and the Rural Infrastructure Authority (RIA) as well as funds awarded through the American Rescue Plan Act. It is not being paid for by the City of Folly Beach or local taxpayers directly. An additional $2 million grant will go towards a separate water main upgrade project.
“The city identified (this) project being the most impactful that could be completed within that budget,” according to Christopher Pyman, project manager with Weston & Sampson, the engineers who would come up with the project design.
Business owners were concerned about the project taking place during the busy summer season, disrupting pedestrian access on bustling Center Street.
“The goal would be not to do it during peak season. That’s in all of our best interests, including from construction administration (standpoint),” said Andrew Carrier, Water Resources Project Engineer at Johnson, Mirmiran & Thompson, a firm also involved in the project. “We’ll stage it so you’ll still be able to drive in and out on Center Street.”
The project would include rebuilding the sidewalks back better, smoother and wider. It would include improving curbs and curb cuts. The design could also include porous surfaces where appropriate and adding landscaping that would naturally help with flooding, Carrier said.
The entire project must be completed by June 2026 when funding expires, according to Pyman.
Feedback from residents and business owners is important, as while mapping models of current conditions do a good job of showing flood-prone areas, first-person accounts of where flooding occurs will help guide and fine-tune the final design plan.
Some business owners at the drop-in were concerned about the timeline for tearing up the island’s main commercial throughfare and the need to not disrupt the flow of traffic and pedestrians during the busy summer season.
Others asked why the project didn’t include a pump system. Project engineers said that a pump system, which is intended to pump out water during high tide, is not included in the project’s scope; however, having upgraded, larger pipes to “store” stormwater during the event of high tide would take more water off of Center Street, which is the project’s ultimate goal.
The project would keep the existing valve at the Erie Avenue outfall that closes during high tide to stop tidal water from entering the stormwater pipes and flowing onto the street.
“If you have a high tide with the rain, nothing will change (even with this project),” said Eli Aboudaran, who owns several beach stores on Center Street and notes that the area around the former Snapper Jack’s restaurant gets particularly flooded during rainstorms. “Why don’t we hear another option?”
A meeting for residents is planned for Wednesday, Feb. 7 to address concerns and help form the project design. It will be held from 5-7 p.m. in a drop-in format at 55 Center Street and will be geared toward residents of Folly Beach with a focus on anticipated impacts on everyday life on Folly.
