fter seven years of planning, surveying, long-term design and construction totaling $5.7 million, all work for Phase 3 of the city drainage projects on Isle of Palms has been completed. Phase 3, conducted by Thomas & Hutton engineering services in Mount Pleasant, included work at 30th, 36th and 41st avenue outfalls and encompassed a total service area of more than 351 acres for all three drainage basins. The intent was not only to improve water drainage in these areas, but to position the island to withstand flooding and sea level rises for years to come. A ribbon cutting on Sept. 3 celven our cover photo pumpkin is surprised that October has arrived. Time passes quickly on our beautiful island and this year’s entrance into fall proves no different. Setting up for this month’s cover photoshoot involved an impromptu pumpkin carving session with our art director Bethany Long. Her vision for October’s cover came to IslandVibesIOP.com 5 NEWS E A Drainage improvements better equip island for inevitable flooding By L. C. Leach III About the Cover Fall: the sweetest treat of all By Laura Fogarty Isle of Palms city staff and state officials celebrate the completion of the Phase 3 drainage project with a ribbon cutting on Sept. 3. fruition on an unseasonably cool and breezy morning that felt almost like, well, fall! Isle of Palms beachgoers near the Front Beach Pier who witnessed our photoshoot were full of questions about the surprised pumpkin in the surf. Photographer Rachel Basye not only kneeled down in the water to capture the perfect cover shot, but also answered questions from the many passersby who stopped to inquire about the whys and hows of the cover process. Most notable among the inquiries was, “Why a pumpkin in the ocean?” Long and Basye were quick to answer with patience and humor while giving a clear picture of the lighthearted and positive vibes we strive to create here at Island Vibes. Whether we are ready or not, beachgoers on IOP can look forward to excellent weather and fewer crowds during the upcoming autumn months. Let’s use this fall break from the tourist season to bask in the joy of all things positive on this isle of paradise that we are fortunate enough to call home. Happy fall, y’all! ebrated the Phase 3 completion: Current and former city council members were joined by SC Office of Resilience officials and staff, state representatives, project engineers, the city's grant writer and city staff. Mayor Phillip Pounds said the milestone will better equip the island to handle heavy rainfall and mitigate flooding risks. "During Tropical Storm Debby, it was really heartening to see limited standing water along these outfalls and within the community, even after experiencing around 10 inches of rain,” Pounds said. “The recent drainage improvements demonstrated awesome results. Ahead of the last storm, we moved our personnel as a precaution, but it turns out we didn't need to. This is a great testament to the success of this project." The completed improvements brought the drainage outfalls up to a modern-day standard for capacity, which is the 25-year storm event, according to Hillary Aton, project manager with Thomas & Hutton. Construction included the installation of inline check valves in each of the pipes at all three outfalls. These valves prevent tidal inundation or backflow, eliminating sunny-day flooding during extreme tide events and preserving storage/drainage capacity within the upstream system for rain events. All three outfalls discharge north to the Intracoastal Waterway to keep the water from coming back to the island. “Additionally, installed on the downstream end of each outfall are sluice gates,” Aton said. “The gates are manually operated and can be lowered to close off and isolate the system for maintenance and inspection purposes. These gates are intended to be in the fully open position during normal operation and any storm event.” Aton added that completion of Phase 3 carries an additional benefit: as an aid to city efforts to combat sea level rise. “The designs for the outfalls incorporated a level of resiliency by considering factors such as sea level rise and potential future improvements to the systems draining to the outfall. The height of the structures and final grades were designed so that these sites may be easily incorporated into the city’s strategic plan to combat sea level rise.” Moving forward, part of Phase 4 will focus on drainage improvements to Palm Boulevard, between 38th and 41st avenues. Thomas & Hutton is currently in the design phase for this location. And rather than improve an existing condition, Aton said this entire area will have to be reinforced from scratch. “This section of Palm Boulevard does not have any existing drainage infrastructure,” she said. “The proposed drainage improvements will provide much needed flooding relief during heavy rain events.”
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