KERSHAW COUNTY – Officials in Kershaw County are currently looking for solutions to years-long stormwater drainage problems in the Pecan Orchard neighborhood.

Previously, several residents of the residential area had expressed their concern about the severe flooding at the district council meeting last Tuesday.

Local resident Melody Hardin told me her septic tank has had to be pumped seven times since she moved into her home in 2019.

She says it costs her about $400 to $500 each time.

She said it’s because so much water collects and soaks the ground because it can’t drain properly throughout the neighborhood.

Both Hardin and his neighbor Corlyn Buring say they have been raising concerns about flooding problems with the county council and county government for years.

They say the lack of maintenance and upkeep of the long-standing ditches – and the temporary ones the county dug to provide better drainage – ultimately led to more water pooling due to lack of maintenance. Hardin says this led to a mix of stormwater and sewage in her yard during persistent rains.

“When you go outside, you can smell it. The sewage when it backs up. On one side of our yard, we have two drain fields and a soakaway, and we still have problems with the water,” Hardin said.

“It’s the water tables. The groundwater is rising and the drainage fields have nowhere to go and aren’t working properly,” explains Danny Templar, Kershaw County Administrator.

“This is not normal. The amount of water coming out doesn’t make sense,” Templar added.

Residents report that the Kershaw County Public Works Department has partially dug trenches and partially installed sewer lines to improve water drainage from the area.

By law, Kershaw County is responsible for maintaining and cleaning ditches along dirt roads, but residents report that gravel and weeds often build up in these ditches, making it harder for stormwater to drain.

Council members say they are aware of concerns both in the neighborhood and in other low-lying areas of the county.

“We have 300 miles of dirt roads in Kershaw County. Four of our people are employed to maintain those. Considering how rural we are, we are under-resourced in terms of maintenance and that is something we want to change,” Templar said.

“This has been going on for many years now. It’s destroying backyards and septic tanks. I mean, it’s a health hazard,” said Kershaw County Councilman Jimmy Jones.

The council has agreed to hear the views of Pecan Orchard residents on Wednesday. In addition, the county administration plans to survey the neighborhood to determine the lowest-lying areas and develop a plan to rebuild the trench infrastructure.

“The bottom line is that the responsibility for implementing these things lies with the county council,” Jones said.

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