By Tony Kukulich
Progress on efforts to reduce persistent flooding in downtown Beaufort was reviewed when officials presented an update on the Downtown Drainage Project this past Friday, July 15.
A diagnosis of the flooding problems has been completed, Project Director Neal Pugliese said at the start of the meeting.
“We’re in the beginning stage of the process, but we’ve taken a very, very large step in addressing, once and for all, the drainage issues that plague this area,” he added.
Joining Pugliese were representatives from Davis & Floyd, an engineering firm responsible for much of the study that covered the downtown area including The Point.
“This being a very historic area, there is a lack of drainage throughout a lot of this area,” said Ryne Phillips of Davis & Floyd. “(The plan) is not necessarily just to fix areas that flood, but it also provides drainage infrastructure in areas that don’t have any structure to promote some resiliency in those areas.”
The effort started with a detailed mapping of the study area that documented the elevations for all the drainage structures. The resultant map shows each stormwater inlet, drainage pipe and each outflow point where stormwater drains into the Beaufort River.
“We commend the City of Beaufort for undertaking an extensive inventory of drainage infrastructure in the historic downtown,” said Jessie White, South Coast Office Director for the Coastal Conservation League. “With over half of Beaufort County being made up of water, we are acutely at risk from the impacts of rising sea levels and increased frequency and intensity of flooding events. We hope the results of this study will help inform meaningful policies that are based in the scientific reality of the climate change impacts we’re experiencing locally and encourage investment in nature-based solutions for balancing protections for the environment, our communities, and our quality of life for the future.”
The study revealed that a number of inlets and storm drains were either clogged or otherwise damaged. The clearing of those drains will comprise the first step in the effort to reduce flooding in the city.
“That is not going to be a silver bullet,” Pugliese said. “That will take care of an immediate issue. It will help mitigate or ameliorate the severity of some of our flooding. The permanent fix is a redesign of the system.”
Analysis completed by the project team determined that just maintaining the clogged pipes would be an improvement, but would be insufficient to eliminate all of the city’s flooding problems. In addition to the necessary drain maintenance, Davis & Floyd identified 28 construction projects to improve and modernize the city’s drainage system. They estimated the cost to complete all of those projects at $28.3 million. Of those 28 projects, 10 were identified as high-priority initiatives with a total cost estimated to be $17.6 million.
King Street was proposed as the top priority, followed by the intersections of Charles and Craven streets and Port Republic and Carteret streets. Phillips said all three areas sit in low-lying areas, making drainage difficult.
“Not necessarily all of these 28 projects need to be done,” Phillips said. “We wanted to go ahead and plan for the future. Since we’re already there, we’ve already done the study, what might it take to bring those streets and areas up to a current design standard and, again, address resiliency.”
Phillips said that he hopes most of the funding for the top priority projects will come through grants from state and federal sources, though some contributions from the city will likely be necessary. He noted that Gov. Henry McMaster signed a bill in May making $683 million available for water, sewer and stormwater projects.
“The next step that (residents) are going to see is Department of Transportation assets coming out and continuing to clean out drains,” Pugliese said. “They’re going to see city assets cleaning out drains. They’re going to see county assets cleaning out pipes, making sure that the area is clear and free of debris. For the long term, they’re going to start seeing design plans to create a system that effectively drains the city.”
For more information on the Downtown Stormwater Project, visit https://www.cityofbeaufort.org/637/The-Point-Downtown-Stormwater-Project.
Tony Kukulich is a recent transplant to the Lowcountry. A native of Wilmington, Del., he comes to The Island News from the San Francisco Bay Area where he spent seven years as a reporter and photographer for several publications. He can be reached at tony.theislandnews@gmail.com.
