WINNSBORO – The Fairfield County Council agreed, back in June, to pay $3,000 of a $4,000 hydrology study to investigate sediment inflow into Lake Wateree. The request for the study came from the Lake Wateree Homeowners’ Association. Southern Ecological Consultants of Lugoff conducted the study and County Administrator Jason Taylor presented those results during Council meeting Monday evening.
“We did commission a hydrologist,” Taylor said. “He came back with a study and his feelings are that Carolina Adventure World does contribute to the runoff and the infill.”
Researchers tested the turbidity levels (the cloudiness of the water) in three locations. One location was tested upstream, and the other locations progressed further downstream higher turbidity levels were found.
According to the report, turbidity levels upstream of Camp Welfare Road were in line with the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control water quality thresholds. However, samples from downstream east of Highway 21 exceeded those levels by as much as five times.
Carolina Adventure World’s allowance of off-road vehicles in active stream channels is identified as likely the cause of the higher turbidity levels in the downstream portion of Lake Wateree. The report goes on to suggest further investigation into the Carolina Adventure World facility to make sure they are properly transporting sediment offsite per DHEC guidelines and thresholds.
Taylor said they would be having a follow up with the hydrologist and listen to recommendations for how to stop the problem and reverse the effects.
Fire Alarm Bid
The Fairfield County Detention Center will be getting a much needed upgrade to their fire alarm system. Council unanimously approved a $79,000 bid from Technology Solutions of Charleston for the upgrade which was also reviewed and recommended by Mead & Hunt Architecture.
“The Fire alarm system at the detention center right now is approaching 20 years old, I think it’s 19 exactly,” Taylor said. “We knew that it was having problems and in the last budget cycle we budgeted $100,000 to go towards the replacement of the system.”
Control Management Incorporated of Columbia submitted a bid of $131,860.
