Published: Monday, Jan. 30, 2012 / Updated: Monday, Jan. 30, 2012 11:35 AM
York County looks to head off ‘disaster’ before it hits Lake Wylie
Marlin Bay’s lift station needs more capacity
LAKE WYLIE --
Improvements to a local lift station could prevent a “disaster” on Crowders Creek, and won’t cost utility customers.
York County Councilman Bruce Henderson, Dist. 2, is working with county staff to make lift station improvements at Villas at Marlin Bay apartments, off S.C. 274, which opened in spring 2010. Details of the work weren’t available by press time Friday, but the plan is to increase the capacity to handle waste and better buffer it from the nearby creek.
“It was pumping probably over its capacity,” Henderson said. “That thing was going to end up being a big, manmade disaster. It was not a matter of if. It was when.”
Dave Pettine, planning and development director for York County, said the project initially was for townhomes but is now 292 apartments, developed by Marlin Bay Development Group. There are concerns about how the current makeup for Marlin Bay meshes with initial plans for water and sewer.
“There will have to be an upgrade to one of the pump stations on the property,” he said. “That cost will be entirely on the developer, so it shouldn’t have any impact on the (water) rates since Carolina Water Service won’t be paying out of pocket. It shouldn’t be a cost they in turn pass on to consumers.”
The main issue, Henderson said, is environmental. A lift station working over capacity could cause a spill into Crowders Creek, he said, which would require expensive efforts to put heavy equipment on site, dig a hole to contain waste and dam off the site for perhaps an extended period of time.
“It could be days before they could put a stop to it,” Henderson said. “This was preventative measure, to make sure we don’t have a problem.”
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