“Sustainability” in the general sense has become a greater part of the collective consciousness than it was 70 years ago. What that means for the more narrow field of stormwater management is that yesterday’s problems are becoming today’s problems.
“The old stuff is really giving us problems; it’s not the new things that we’ve implemented,” said Tanya Strickland, who leads North Augusta’s stormwater management department.
Strickland was specifically referencing North Augusta’s older infrastructure, some of it laid down 70-plus years ago. Right sized at the time, it hasn’t been able to sustain a population that’s grown more than two-fold.
Beyond the pipes, building sustainable stormwater management into new development is becoming more common in North Augusta.
Brick Pond Park, the 40-acre wetland that through a partnership between the city of North Augusta and the developer of Hammonds Ferry became the stormwater system for all of lower downtown, might be the most visible.
The city has also invested in an advanced drainage system along the riverfront that stretches from the northeastern edge of Hammonds Ferry down to The Landing and captures whatever pollutants and hydrocarbons don’t get filtered through Brick Pond Park.
It helps ensure that whatever water coming from downtown and the big riverfront developments gets treated before it makes it into the Savannah River, Strickland said.
Smaller projects have also gone up in recent years, even recent months.
The headquarters for SRP Federal Credit Union on Edgefield Road was one of the first projects in the city to put in an infiltration system for capturing stormwater.
The new Chick fil A at Exit 5 laid down pervious pavers to help prevent run-off, and North Augusta’s Public Safety headquarters now going up on Georgia Avenue includes an underground detention pond.
“Big…
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