WACCAMAW SYSTEM MAY RF FIXFD
County Gives
Schools
More Time To Make Supply Sewer Repairs
BY SUSAN USHER
Brunswick County Schools ran into no snags Monday
in gaining an extension from the Brunswick County
Health Department to continue pumping and hauling
wastewater from Supply Elementary School while its
sewer system is repaired.
At Waccamaw School, a sewage treatment system
that was shut down by county health officials in late
September was expected to return to regular operation
this week after more than a month under its own pump
and-haul agreement.
Concerned about apparent delays in the school sys
tem's handling of Supply school's wastewater problem,
the Brunswick County Board of Health had given the
school system until Nov. 12 to fix it, or face possible
closure of the school.
State review and approval of the proposed repairs
took longer than expected and work at the site began
about two weeks ago. As of Monday, the contractor was
about half-through and expected to finish the job by
mid-December, said Dennis Carr, maintenance and con
struction director.
Health Director Michael Rhodes said Monday he
would had no problem this week granting the extension
requested by the school board.
"They are into the process of repair and there is activ
ity going on," he said. "The deadline is a tool you can
use to expedite compliance with a repair permit or other
kind of repair.
"It looks like in this case the repairs are being made.
We hope this repair will last a good while."
Replacement of a terra cotta pipe that allowed up to
6,000 gallons of groundwater a day to seep into and
greatly overload Waccamaw Elementary School's sewer
system may alleviate the need for more costly repairs at
the Ash school.
"The school generates 3,200 to 3,400 gallons of
wastewater a day; with the groundwater we were putting
9,000 gallons a day into the system," said Carr. "You
can't put 100 gallons of water in a 50-gallon container."
The line running from the school to the treatment
plant had been in place since 1927. Terra cotta or clay
pipe is fitted together in sections but are subject to shift
ing because, unlike PVC pipe, the joints aren't glued or
otherwise sealed.
Carr expected to begin operating the system again
early this week. The pipe replacement was one of sever
al repairs made to the system since health officials found
partially treated effluent flowing onto a nearby play field
in late September. Workers have hauled in sand and ex
tended standpipes to reduce seepage.
"Hopefully the sand filter system won't be bad when
we turn it back on," said Carr.
If it is, the system may have to be replaced with a
more costly type of treatment. "We're talking $10,000
versus $30,000," said Carr.
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