Ordinance Development Pilot Program
After conducting a pilot inspection program that demonstrated the need for septic system management, and after developing a training program for inspectors, DHEC-OCRM was ready to help a coastal community develop an inspection and maintenance ordinance that was a "best fit" for that community. The City of Folly Beach and the Town of Edisto Beach were the two coastal communities that expressed an interest in developing a septic system management program.
In the fall of 2002, Stone Environmental Inc. (SEI) out of Vermont was hired to develop a septic system management database that could be tailored to fit the needs and capabilities of Folly Beach and Edisto Beach. In January, 2003, SEI presented their program proposal to representatives of Folly Beach and Edisto Beach, and also to Beaufort County and the Town of Hilton Head Island. The proposed database management program was web-based, could be integrated with county assessor data and DHEC's DRAINFIELD database and appropriate GIS data. The capabilities of Stone's database management program impressed town officials. However, by project's end they were not ready to take such a huge step forward by adopting a comprehensive OSDS management ordinance and making a long-term commitment to a relatively costly database program.
While the database project was going on, DHEC-OCRM staff began working with the Folly Beach Planning Commission on the development of a septic system management ordinance. The original ordinance template came from the Town of Charlestown, Rhode Island. Edisto Beach was also using this ordinance as a template for their town.
In the spring of 2003, the Folly Beach Planning Commission conducted a survey of residents and property owners to determine which course the city should follow: city-wide sewer system or a septic system management program. Given those two options, the majority were in support of a management program. In the fall of 2003, DHEC-OCRM staff began attending a series of almost monthly planning commission meetings on the ordinance development. By October 2004, a final version was approved by the commission. A public forum was held in January 2005 to explain the ordinance and get public feedback. Folly Beach City Council held its first reading of the ordinance in late May 2005. The ordinance was approved (4-3) at its third reading on June 28, 2005, with implementation to begin in six months.
The officials at Edisto Beach decided to use a combination of voluntary and ordinance approaches to manage septic systems. Shortly after the final report from Stone Environmental was completed, the town sent a letter to all Edisto Beach property owners requesting that they voluntarily have their septic systems inspected and repaired and that they notify Town Hall for purposes of logging in the inspection dates. The letter contained educational information that had been provided by DHEC-OCRM. This illustrates the town's recognition of the need for maintenance and the importance of keeping some system of records. The town also passed two ordinances in order to close some gaps in state regulations. These included a definition of the term "bedroom" upon which the sizing of a system is based, and the need for a DHEC assessment of a system prior to major renovations. Although the Town of Edisto Beach has not adopted a comprehensive OSDS management ordinance like Folly Beach did, they have made great strides in tackling the OSDS issues they feel impact them the most.
For a more thorough story on Edisto's efforts, see Wastewater: The Hidden Threat of Our Nation's Changing Shoreline (pdf) in the May/June 2004 issue of NOAA's Coastal Services publication that featured the Town of Edisto Beach.
For copies of the ordinances passed by City of Folly Beach and Town of Edisto Beach, see the Sample Ordinances - Ordinance Examples section.