Residents say developer violated stop-work order as county confirms repairs and lifts restriction

Several residents urged Dorchester County Council on June 1 to investigate what they described as repeated failures by Coulter LLC to maintain erosion controls at The Ponds subdivision and to hold the developer accountable for environmental damage and restricted access to community ponds and trails.

Sunshine Traus, a resident who reported the most recent incident, told the council a South Carolina Department of Environmental Services (DEES)– and county‑issued stop‑work order was placed on May 27 for a major silt‑fence blowout in Phase 9 at the end of Rosewood Way. Traus said the contractor repaired the blowout on May 28 and “the developer assumed they could resume work on that Friday,” but the county had not yet lifted the order. She said county staff notified the developer and that DEES met with county public‑works staff; as of the afternoon of June 1 the county had lifted the stop‑work order after confirming the repairs with DEES.

Council members asked directly whether the builder violated the stop‑work order. A county staff member confirmed the contractor did resume work during the order and said the county can assess fines of $1,000 per day for violations.

Multiple residents followed. Rick Bryce said Coulter sent an email restricting residents’ access to ponds, trails and woodlands and accused residents of tampering with silt fences; he and others said the fence work was improperly installed. Billy Simmons described long‑running problems dating to 2025 and said the failures contributed to erosion that reached the Ashley River. "This is a colossal failure of oversight," Simmons told the council and said residents want the county to increase inspections and enforce agreements with the developer.

Jennifer Kunda and other residents asked the council to hold the developer to the terms of its agreements and pursue remedies if the company failed to comply. County staff acknowledged prior inspections and correspondence and said inspection frequency had been increased after earlier reports; staff said more recent on‑site repairs were verified by DEES and the county before lifting the order.

The council did not vote on a formal enforcement action during the meeting, but county staff said the county retains authority to levy fines and will continue stormwater monitoring in The Ponds community. Several speakers requested a further investigation and clearer, ongoing reporting to residents on inspection schedules and any fines or corrective steps the county imposes.

Ending: Council members indicated staff follow‑up; the transcript records requests for continued monitoring and possible fines, but no additional enforcement vote was taken at the June 1 meeting.