DHEC-OCRM

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It was recently reported to me that Shannon Hicks, PE, Manager for DHEC-OCRM’s Permitting Section, told a group of Sun City residents that as long as a stormwater management lagoon met DHEC-OCRM’s storage volume requirements that the lagoon can be ONE INCH DEEP. “Our regulations don’t regulate depth.”

C’mon, Ms. Hicks! EVERY engineer knows that a stormwater management pond needs depth to filter out pollutants.

The problem is DHEC-OCRM’s regulations:

· DHEC regulations don’t require embankments on SWM ponds
· DHEC regulations don’t require that soil in embankments be compacted
· DHEC regulations don’t require that embankments be clear of trees
· DHEC regulations don’t require freeboard
· DHEC regulations don’t require that materials and workmanship for control structures be such that they won’t leak
· DHEC regulations don’t require that pipes connecting ponds, that are vital to the operation of the system, be cleared of silt
· DHEC regulations don’t require fences where steep slopes present a safety hazard
· DHEC regulations don’t require that ponds be built according to approved plans
· DHEC regulations don’t protect the environment

You don’t need an engineer to be a bureaucrat--just someone who can read.
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