Lift station issues draw regulatory attention

In an informal conference today, Walhalla’s utilities director impressed on DHEC officials the pro-active approach the city is taking to address sewer difficulties, and that Scott Parris approach may defuse the potential for a civil fine.  The tele-meeting centered on the potential for a consent order between the city and the Department of Health and Environmental Control to assure that repairs are completed in a timely manner.  The potential consent order would address the problems identified in a 2019 DHEC inspection report in and around the Joint Regional Sewer Authority’s Flat Rock lift station on the south side of the city’s utilities system.  Parris spoke directly to the DHEC Bureau of Water enforcement officer and recited the engineering work and other steps the city has begun, and it sounded like enforcement officer Patrick Stivers was impressed.  Parris described the financial resources that Walhalla can use to remedy the Flat Rock problems, as well as repairs needed to the Cane Creek basin on the north side of the system.  Those financial resources include a $550 thousand grant from the Rural Infrastructure Fund and an $800 thousand refund from the JRSA.  Hearing that, DHEC’s Patrick Stivers said, “Everything you’ve told me is above and beyond what I expected to hear.  It sounds liked you all are really jumping on this.”  Parris, as well as Mayor Edwards and Councilman Underwood, utilities committee chairman, take heart with Stivers’ reaction and hope the regulatory agency won’t punish the city any further.