The Georgetown County Stormwater Division is embarking on a master plan to address flooding and drainage system issues across the county, and it’s looking for the help of residents.
The master planning project will take place in phases, with each focusing on a different watershed. The first phase, beginning this month, will look at flooding and drainage system issues along the Waccamaw Neck and how to address them. Residents can input information into a mapping application at georgetowncountypublicprojects.geothinq.com. The website includes a brief tutorial for users in how to drop pins on the map.
“We’re really looking to add the experiences and knowledge of people who live and work here in order to understand the issues in their area day-to-day, month-to-month,” said Tracy Jones, stormwater manager. “Residents and business owners know what happens on their streets and in their neighborhoods. We want to add their information to the database so we can use their information to complete the watershed masterplan.”
Residents and business owners will be able to use the map to locate addresses and street names, drop pins to indicate areas of concern, and enter details about the problem. A link to the mapping application will be available following the meeting. The map will be made available to the public for one month. After that time, staff will pull the information and add it to the database. Engineering consultant Thomas and Hutton will use the information to assist in the creation of the model of the existing stormwater drainage infrastructure. The model will then be used to make recommendations for improvements and rank their priority for construction. This work should be done by the end of the year. Georgetown County will use these recommendations to leverage funding and create a master plan to address the flooding and drainage system issues.
“We’ll then move on to the next watershed of the county and start the process over again,” Jones said.