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Board hears water-quality monitoring collaboration, project updates and staffing plans; Arthur Horn grant likely lost
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Summary
Beaufort County staff and partners reported new citizen water-quality monitoring, multiple drainage and retrofit projects under way, a likely loss of an expected NRCS grant for the Arthur Horn project, and staffing and contracting changes.
Beaufort County stormwater staff and partners reported a series of monitoring and capital projects at the Stormwater Utility Board meeting on April 16, 2025, and outlined near-term staffing and contracting plans.
Dr. Peddi (water lab lead) said the county began a collaboration with the Port Royal Sound Foundation to expand citizen water-quality monitoring, starting with approximately 15 sites and twice-monthly field sampling. Peddi said samples are analyzed at the county lab and that the program will expand geographic and temporal coverage beyond state sampling; Peddi described a public-facing database in development that will combine state and local data.
Ellen (Storm Partners / Clemson Extension representative) reported the Storm Partners consortium compiled a report showing more than 3.5 million educational impacts this year and more than 5,000 participations in watershed activities; she outlined a busy Earth Month schedule of native-plant sales, cleanups and rain-garden workshops.
On capital projects, staff said work on Bay Pines has begun and that initial analysis identified upsizing two culverts under a road as a likely near-term fix. The Rivers (Riverside) project will replace the entire lower system and add bioswales to address sinkholes and a collapsing driveway; staff said replacing the full lower system was more forward-looking than piecemeal repairs. Tuxedo Park dredge and Hickory Hill survey work are scheduled to begin this spring. For Okeechee River Park, staff released a surveyor to gather elevation and invert data needed to continue design work.
Staff said the Arthur Horn project had been expected to receive a grant—staff had been told it was about $2,200,000 from NRCS—but that recent discussions with NRCS staff made that grant unlikely. Staff said they will perform limited in-house maintenance to restore positive drainage immediately and then design phase-two construction plans if funding is found. Staff noted reserves exist that could be used for later construction, but that any major spending would come back to the board for recommendation.
Staff also reported operational changes: Wilbur (on-call stormwater services) is currently the only on-call stormwater services firm and their contract expires in October; upper management instructed staff to put multiple on-call firms in place to access specialized expertise. Public Works is recruiting a project manager focused on in-house stormwater projects; interviews were underway and staff expected to have a hire in two to three months. Staff also said the stormwater utility-fee restructure is in progress, with the goal "not to raise fees" but instead to calculate fees more accurately; staff will meet with municipality stakeholders to align service levels with municipal fees. The draft regional design manual is out for comment and staff plan a third-party review before the board is asked to recommend adoption.
Board members asked for updates to be posted online and for staff to schedule community meetings for neighborhoods affected by projects. No new formal budget approvals were recorded at the April 16 meeting; staff said the next meeting will include further project status updates.
