Charleston Waterkeeper could file lawsuit against Charleston Water System over sewage overflow
CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD)- A Lowcountry nonprofit organization, Charleston Waterkeeper, announced it will sue the Charleston Water System, citing sewage overflow threatening the public’s health if the water system does not fix the leakage issues.
For years, Charleston Waterkeeper has been tracking sewer overflows.
“Since 2015, Charleston Water System has had 176 illegal sewer overflows,” said Andrew Wunderley, Charleston Waterkeeper Executive Director.
Overflow typically happens when significant rainfall causes flooding, which Wunderley says leads to sewage leaking into our waterways, like the Ashley and Cooper Rivers and the James Island Creek.
Wunderley says the leakages threaten wildlife and people who swim in those waters.
“Those discharge raw and untreated sewage into nearby creeks and rivers, leading to high bacteria levels and can make swimming and other recreational activities safe,” he said.
Charleston Waterkeeper is now threatening legal action against the Charleston Water System, notifying them Wednesday morning that they intend to file a lawsuit.
“Charleston Water System has known about these issues for years, and so it’s time to get them fixed,” Wunderley said. “We want to see meaningful progress towards getting those sewer overflows fixed.”
News 2 asked the Charleston Water System about these allegations, and they responded with the following statement:
“We always welcome discussion about how we invest significant time, resources, and funding to effectively manage our wastewater infrastructure while ensuring customer affordability. Our mission is to support public health and protect the environment, and overflows are never an acceptable outcome. Our current $123 million wastewater capital program consists of projects directly addressing all areas prone to sewer overflows. Since 2015, we’ve spent $220 million on wastewater capital improvement projects addressing system capacity and reliability, which help to reduce the potential for overflows. Our efforts also include continual find-and-fix projects to stop groundwater and stormwater from entering our sewer system, which has led to tremendous reductions in flow, therefore reducing overflows.”
Wunderley says the Charleston Water System has 60 days to fix these issues before they officially file the lawsuit.
