Mount Pleasant Water Works reports Snowden sewer completion, expands septic maintenance program

Allen Clum, general manager of Mount Pleasant Water Works (MPW), told the Planning and Public Works Committee on Jan. 22 that MPW has completed the sewer installation in the Snowden community and that tie-ins are under way.

"We are complete in Snowden," Clum said. "Every home that is in Snowden has the availability of sewer to improve their lives, to enhance their lives, and to protect the environment." He described the completion as a "big day" after decades of community advocacy.

Clum summarized MPW’s clean water credit and septic-abatement work: MPW has issued roughly 49 completed clean-water credits (Clum’s illustrative target had been 10 per year), with 41 approved and 33 under construction. The Snowden project has 25 completed tie-ins so far, and MPW said initial availability was 62 connections when it began. MPW reported roughly 1,500 septic tanks in its service area and said about half of those tanks are in a failed condition.

To address areas without sewer availability, MPW said it launched a septic maintenance program for service-area customers: for $15 per month the program provides an annual certified inspection, a septic pump-out every five years, $3,000 in repair-cost assistance and coordination support for repairs. Clum said enrollment has exceeded initial expectations with 31 enrolled and 52 total applicants being processed.

Councilmembers asked whether residents must annex into the town of Mount Pleasant to obtain sewer service. Clum said existing homes with septic in 2021 were not required to annex; new builds contiguous to town property generally must annex or agree to a covenant to annex later if contiguity occurs. He also said MPW can submit comments to state permitting authorities (DES/DHEC) when septic permits are under review.

Ending: MPW asked county staff and council to continue coordination on funding, outreach and permitting; councilmembers thanked MPW staff and emphasized that more work remains in areas that still lack sewer availability.