HORRY COUNTY, SC (WBTW) – The Horry County Stormwater Department is making improvements to areas in Socastee, the Rosewood community, Buck Creek and other county neighborhoods to help with stormwater issues.

Horry County Stormwater has had crews at the end of Gavin Court in Lawson’s Landing in Socastee this week to pull up plants, trees and bushes, to make way for more water, to improve erosion and flooding.

“They’re cutting down all kinds of trees and cleaning up both sides of the brook,” said Lawson’s Landing resident Chris Healy.

“When we have those major storms, you know, that’s a lot of rainfall. People think back to Hurricane Florence often as a lot of rainfall,” said Kelly Moore, Director of Public Information for Horry County Government. “That’s not really a storm water issue, but certainly stormwater can help.”  

Healy remembers how much water Hurricane Florence brought to his neighborhood in Socastee.

“It just went through everybody’s backyards right here, and into our backyard too, but only like around 3 feet, 5 feet, but other houses in our backyard actually got flooded out, pretty bad,” he said.

To prevent erosion, the Stormwater Department is replacing old flumes with a stone barrier called rip rap.

The department is also improving ditches with new piping along Jennifer Lane in Socastee, in the Rosewood community and near Socastee High School.

“When you’re seeing work, sometimes behind houses, and drainage easements to clear out some of that vegetative overgrowth, and things like that, that’s to make the water flow smoother,” explained Moore.

The department is also improving drainage along Bay Road, making repairs to the Buck Creek and Simpson Creek watersheds and doing some re-routing at the Melody Drainage Basin in Surfside Beach.

Horry County’s stormwater fee, recently increased to $50 per year, is what’s funding these projects.

“Just last night, the Chairman said that storm water is going to be a major focus for county council going forward,” said Moore. “I think you’ll continue to hear discussion on how to improve our systems.”

Moore says the community can help the Stormwater Department by not throwing trash or building fences in drainage easements, because it could block water flow.

If you have a stormwater issue, you can always call and report those issues to the “Horry County Stormwater Drainage Hotline” at (843) 381-8000.

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