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Pecan Orchard residents renew stormwater complaints at council meeting; ask for faster action after grant denial
Summary
Neighbors from the Pecan Orchard subdivision told Kershaw County Council that repeated delays, failed grants and incomplete ditch and road work have left yards flooded and sewage present after rain. They urged the county to use emergency funds or find alternate grant sources.
Residents of the Pecan Orchard neighborhood pressed the Kershaw County Council on Tuesday for quicker action on chronic stormwater and roadway problems that, they said, have left sewage and standing water in front yards after heavy rains.
What residents said Melody Hardin, speaking for Pecan Orchard, told the council the neighborhood has “had stormwater issues for years” and that maintenance promised after an earlier meeting has not been completed. She said the neighborhood’s ditches had not been cleaned, roads were not maintained in a way that moved water away from driveways and that a recent engineering study and a failed grant left residents waiting:
“We were told we would be helped and the county would come up with a plan. It has been 10 months since those questions were asked, and it seems the county has taken a stance of waiting.”
Hardin said neighbors had been told water testing showed no sewage in the water but were nonetheless warned to avoid contact with standing water. She asked councilors to treat the problem with the same urgency the county applies to high-profile projects.
Council response and next steps County staff acknowledged the broken timelines and said the county is pursuing alternative grant funding, has retained engineering firms and has identified some matching funds the county had previously set aside as potential local match. The administrator said the county had submitted a FEMA hazard-mitigation pre-application and would continue to pursue USDA and state resiliency funding opportunities.
Residents’ ask and county timeline Residents asked the council to consider using emergency funds or local match dollars sooner rather than waiting for the next possible grant round. County leaders asked staff to report on options and timelines; councilman Jones requested that the finance committee review possible funding options and return findings at the July 22 meeting.
Ending Residents said they would continue to press for regular updates. County staff said it would further coordinate engineering options and possible phased repairs in the neighborhood and report back to council.
