DARLINGTON, SC (WBTW) – Darlington City Council approved the Master Storm Water Ordinance at its meeting on Tuesday.

Darlingon City Administrator, Howard Garland, said the ordinance needed to be adopted in order to get a new bond for the Southwest Darlington Storm Water Project

“The bids came in, and the low bid was $2,562,000,” said Garland. “We budgeted $1.5 million for the project, so we were over budget by $1,62,000 hence the need to redo our storm water bond.”

Garland said the new bond is $2.75 million.

Council Member, John Milling, said he had issues with the project.

“I’m going to end up voting for it, but I’ve always had concerns about the cost, and the way it’s escalated,” Milling said before council voted.

Garland said the city has dealt with the storm water issue for 50 years.

During the public participation portion of the meeting, Darlington resident, Rose Pruitt, spoke to council about her concerns with the storm water project.

“I was excited to hear about the storm water ordinance that you passed, and the work that you’re planning doing, but for the last two years I thought that was going to help the drainage problem in my area,” Pruitt said.

Pruitt said the block of Broad Street that she lives on is not one of the areas the city plans to fix drainage.

“An inch of rain will put 15 inches of water at the end of my driveway, and backs it all the way up to my steps,” she said.

Pruitt said the storm water is so bad in front of her house, that the post office cannot deliver her mail.

“I’m surprised no one’s been killed because the water out in the street can reach two feet or more,” she told City Council. “If we have thunderstorms and any heavy rainfall, the water comes underneath my house.”

Pruitt said she’s had to replace her heating and air system because of the damage done by the storm water.

“I’d like to see the storm water drain that’s right at the end of my driveway cleared out, so that it will drain to wherever it’s supposed to go,” Pruitt told News13 after the meeting.

Garland said he would look into Pruitt’s issues. 

“Construction should begin within the next week or two,” the City Administrator said. “We’ve already been taking trees down in the area. There’s close to 100 trees that have had to be taken down for the project.”

Garland said the project will take roughly five months to complete., and the city bought a vactor truck that will begin use in July.

“We’ll develop a listing of what areas need to be cleared, and we’ll go from there,” he said.

Darlington City Council will meet for a budget works session on Apr. 17 at 6 p.m.