City Taking Steps to Fix Sewage, Stormwater Issues

Written by Matthew Gooch

As this is written, the rain is pouring again. We are all aware of the massive rainfall that has hit this area. The City is seeing rain fall amounts that are rare at best. This over abundance of rainfall, while beneficial, does push our ability both privately and publicly to maintain our property.  Our Public Works department can't move necessary equipment onto saturated ground. The rain has set in and many citizens are experiencing issues with storm water runoff. Storm water is a different issue altogether from sanitary sewer.   

The reason the City raised sewer rates was to address the issue of storm water infiltrating our sanitary sewage system. As it stands now, sewer revenue is growing. Where there was talk of borrowing funds to finance repairs, now there may be a way to pay for the mandated repairs to our old and very ailing system without borrowing. 

The hike in rates was a tough choice but the correct one. While it does hurt our personal budgets, and this was discussed at length in all our meetings about this issue, everyone that ties onto Simpsonville’s sanitary sewage system has a role to play in maintaining it and ultimately benefitting all citizens of the City. 

The City was instructed by REWA, Renewable Water Resources, to either: limit inflow and infiltration of water into the system or risk losing the ability to use their treatment facilities in the future. In short if we don’t tie into their lines, we don’t have a sewage system! 

As it turns out, so much outside water was and is getting into the sewage system that the cost of treating the wastewater is more than REWA could take on. This same issue is being faced in surrounding cities. REWA has placed the same requirements on them as well. We discussed multiple options, including the creation of our own treatment facility, and previous councils had looked at this matter as well. It fell to the current council to make the call. We did and would do it again.  

The time limit for system improvements, i.e. sealing the sanitary sewer against rain water infiltration, is required to be completed by January 2021. Had rates been adjusted years ago, when this deadline was set and studies indicated what rates should have been, it actually would have been even higher. Had we waited another few years we would run the risk of missing the deadline, fines, and the potential of exorbitantly high rates and heavy borrowing. Instead we chose to quit kicking the can down the road for others to pick up.

The target is looming and through the hard work and excellent guidance of our Public Works department, the engineering firm we are working with, and the City’s administrative staff, it looks as if we will be able to implement required repairs on time. 

While Public Works has been inspecting and making spot repairs throughout the City, reducing our overall cost for the mandated repairs, a sewer repair project of this size and scope has not been undertaken in decades. The hope is, once repairs have been implemented, that we would be able to pay for as much as possible without borrowing. 

Sinking (pardon the rain pun) the City, i.e. its citizenry, further into debt is not a favorable option. 

Matthew Gooch, Simpsonville City Council member