McBee divided over sewer issue

McBEE – Members of the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental (DHEC) control will continue looking into the possible location of a new wastewater treatment plant in McBee proposed by Alligator Water & Sewer Company. DHEC held a public meeting Tuesday night to gather input from area residents and answer questions regarding the facility.

The new treatment plant would be located off Highway 151 just outside of the McBee town limits and would be an approximately 3-acre open spray field.

Essentially, DHEC will investigate Alligator’s application and weigh other options, according to DHEC representative Jeff deBessonet. Other options are: a wastewater treatment facility in Cheraw, a sewer system owned and run by the Town of McBee and leaving the current system in place. deBessonet said DHEC will choose the most viable option for the area.

Many area residents and town council members voiced their opinions at Tuesday’s meeting. Some of the residents had questions and concerns regarding the economic impact of a wastewater treatment facility in McBee, but DHEC representatives said their job was to ensure no damage would be done to the area from the facility.

Most residents that spoke, with the exception of those that would live near the facility, seemed to be in favor of a sewer system in McBee. However, the town seemed split by who they wanted to be in control of the sewer system.

Glenn Odom, director of Alligator Water & Sewer, said the facility would allow industry to move into the area and create jobs. In fact, Odom listed Project Apple as an industry that is currently studying whether or not to locate its facilities in McBee. The company would need a sewer system to locate. The Landing, the new gated community near Lake Robinson, also needs sewer service, Odom said.

Alligator currently has a contract to send its wastewater to Hartsville’s sewer facility for treatment until 2017. Per the contract, Alligator can send up to 650,000 gallons of industrial wastewater per day to Hartsville.

Currently, Alligator sends approximately 110,000 gallons per day.

Odom said the Project Apple industry and The Landing would put Alligator over the limit of the current contract, which is why the company is proposing the new facility.
A new facility, however, would mean that Alligator would have to buy out the remainder of the contract with Hartsville, which Odom said would be done mostly with grant money from the state.

Alligator requested a change in the contract to 1 million gallons per day from Hartsville, but Hartsville officials did not see a need to renegotiate since Alligator currently has an average of 550,000 gallons per day that remain unused.

Odom said if Alligator remained under contract with Hartsville, they would be dependant on someone else for the growth of the area. Any new wastewater Alligator wants to add above 650,000 would have to be approved by the City of Hartsville. Odom felt that was putting the sewer’s future in someone else’s hands.

“What if I say I want Phase One and (the Hartsville facility) takes it?” Odom said Wednesday morning. “And then someone buys the golf course and needs sewer, and they don’t take it. We could get to where they accept the Huddle House but don’t accept the Exxon. There are just too many variables.”

The Town of McBee is officially opposed to Alligator’s proposal. Last year, the town passed a resolution against Alligator building an open spray wastewater treatment field near McBee, according to McBee Mayor John Campolong.

Campolong said Tues-day night the town’s opposition reflected town sentiment. “I have to ensure the people of the town are represented,” he said. “We are opposed to it because we heard from a lot of people.”

Campolong also said protecting the Middendorf Aquifer was the number one priority and Alligator’s sewer would endanger that.
However, Campolong did say the town would support a sewer if the town could run it.

On Wednesday, Campolong said the town did not want to enter into another contract with Alligator. He said the contract the town is currently under for water service with Alligator has influenced the town’s decision. “The precedent (Alligator) set,” Campolong said, “and the problems we had with that (contract) definitely gives us a look of what it would be like (under the sewer contract).”

Doug Bryant, a representative for some city property owners, said there was no need for the facility.

Most of the area residents, however, seemed to agree on the fact the town needs the sewer system in order to grow, but the biggest point of contention is who would operate the service. Some wanted the Cheraw option, town officials want to operate the sewer system themselves, and many people at the meeting wore shirts that said,“I support the sewer.”

DHEC will investigate all of the potential areas and make the decision on whether or not to approve Alligator’s request.