Engineering FAQ
What do I do if I want the ditch in front of my house piped and covered?
The City will pipe an existing ditch if it is deemed appropriate to do so. The Engineering Department will provide a cost estimate approved by the Water Utilities Field Services Superintendent for materials necessary to complete the job. The materials must be supplied by the property owner or paid for in full at City Hall before the work can begin. Open ditches are piped according to the Stormwater Division's schedule.
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Who do I call if I want a driveway to my house or business?
If you do not have a residential driveway entrance to your property, you must contact the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) at 843-546-2405 and request one. If you already have one residential driveway and would like an additional one, the Engineering Department will provide a cost estimate approved by the Water Utilities Field Services Superintendent for time and expense necessary to complete the job. This driveway does not include concrete, asphalt, or rock; driveway is described as a means of entering or exiting property from or to the street measuring at least 15 feet in width.
All commercial driveways must be installed by the owner.
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Where do I find information concerning whether or not water and/or wastewater service is available to a parcel?
The Engineering Department maintains all maps containing water and wastewater mains. Copies of maps may be provided upon payment of copying fees. If water and/or sewer is not available, it shall be the Water Utilities Manager's decision as to whether or not a connection shall be made to existing facilities at the owner's expense. A septic system or a water well is permitted in special circumstances upon approval from the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC).
A developer desiring to connect a new subdivision to existing utilities will be required to install the water and/or sewer facilities at his own expense. Facilities must be installed to City standards and may be deeded to the City upon completion. Plans should be submitted to the City for approval.
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What are the requirements for installing water, wastewater, and stormwater mains for new developments?
All water mains 4 inches in diameter or greater shall be C-900 PVC or ductile iron. Two inch water mains shall be Schedule 40 PVC or galvanized iron.
Water services 3/4 and 1 inches diameter shall be Type K roll copper on the City's side of the meter.
All wastewater mains 8 inches in diameter or greater shall be SDR-35 PVC or ductile iron.
Wastewater services 4 and 6 inches in diameter shall be Schedule 40 PVC or ductile iron and shall have a cleanout at the property line or edge of easement.
All plans shall be submitted to the City for review prior to construction.
Utilities may be deeded to the City upon SCDHEC approval.
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What are the requirements for submittal of stormwater plans?
All new developments in excess of one acre, except single-family house parcels, shall be required to submit for approval by the Engineering Department prior to development, a stormwater management plan designed and stamped by a professional engineer registered in the state of South Carolina.
Tract developments between two and five acres proposing a thirty percent increase or 30,000 S.F. (whichever is less) in surface impermeability should have a post development discharge rate not to exceed the predevelopment rate of a 10 year, twenty-four-hour storm for the same storm event.
Tract developments five acres or more proposing a fifteen percent increase or 40,000 S.F. (whichever is less) in surface impermeability shall not exceed the predevelopment rate of a 10 year, twenty four hour storm for all rainfalls up to a 25 year, twenty-four-hour storm.
All other tract developments shall be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
The owner must pay a minimum $300.00 review fee to the City for each stormwater management plan.
Plans shall meet all requirements of the Ocean and Coastal Resource Management (OCRM), and construction permits must be submitted to the City prior to construction.
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