Simpsonville Residents Seek Answers to Stormwater, Flooding Issues

Many Simpsonville residents are seeking answers to their flooding problems after a soggy summer and the wettest July on record.

More than 30 folks this past Thursday attended a city-sponsored stormwater meeting at the Activity and Senior Center downtown, only to be told that the city can do very little to help, The Greenville News reported.

That upset many, who told tales of flooded yards and basements. But City Administrator Russ Hawes said the city is hamstrung, since it receives none of Greenville County's stormwater fee and does not have the staff or expertise to deal with the runoff after one of the wettest summers in memory, the paper reported.

The city is in charge of its roads, as well as ditches and catch basins in rights of way, while the county maintains detention ponds and stream beds are the responsibility of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Hawes noted.

Meantime, any water on private property is the responsibility of the property owner, said Hawes, who noted that many of the area's flooding issues stem from developments built before regulations were written to address stormwater runoff.

"Now when you have heavy rain storms it's bad," Hawes said, adding that it's against city policy to maintain stormwater systems that cross private property.

To change the policy and better address issues, Hawes said it would be up to City Council, which Mayor Perry Eichor indicated the city might have to do.

More here.