Residents Question City of Beaufort’s Drainage Plan for The Point Neighborhood

A $9.46 million drainage project is causing turmoil between residents of The Point and Beaufort’s City Council. Several residents of The Point attended and spoke out at the work session and regular meeting of the Council on June 24, 2024. The city is pursuing the pump, generator, and outflow system planned in the heart of The Point (see the full plan here). Flooding concerns from rainfall in this 2022 Davis and Floyd engineering study are the basis for the project that is to be funded by a grant from the South Carolina Infrastructure Investment Program (SCIIP).  But, there is a big problem: the residents of The Point do not want the project to move forward and do not even think it is necessary.  A petition opposing the drainage project, with 280 signatures, was submitted to the city on May 7, 2024. 

During the public comment portion of the June 24 work session, Dr. Brenda Litchfield, long time resident of The Point, voiced concerns over the drainage plan. Litchfield centered her comments around six main points and repeated her assertion numerous times that “no house in The Point has ever flooded from a rain event”.  Litchfield’s six points included:

Lack of Community Input  – According to Litchfield, the project was created in isolation, without engaging those directly affected.

Street Flooding Mischaracterized – Litchfield clarified that the only flooding occurring in The Point is street flooding, which typically resolves within one to three hours. The existing drainage system, she said, has worked for years but is now hindered by clogged pipes.

Issues with Current Drainage System – The primary problem, Litchfield emphasized, is not the drainage system’s design but the clogging of pipes that prevent water from draining properly. 

Grant Funding and Misleading Information – Litchfield also criticized the SCIIP grant application, claiming that it contained numerous “erroneous statements, flawed documentation, and misleading photos”. She pointed out that photos in the report show flooding from Hurricane Irma, and repeated that the proposed system would not be effective in extreme tidal events, tropical storms, or hurricanes. 

Comparisons to Mossy Oaks – Litchfield compared the situation in The Point to Mossy Oaks that recently underwent a major project for a significantly larger drainage area of 580 acres compared to The Point’s 42 acres. Mossy Oaks’ issues were resolved with the installation of tidal gates, a solution she believes could be more effective and appropriate for The Point. 

Critique of Redesign and Suggested Solutions – Litchfield criticized the recent redesign of the drainage plan, saying it had only increased residents’ frustration. She suggested that the city should focus first on fixing the clogged pipes and evaluating the effectiveness of this approach before considering the installation of a large pump system. “We do not have a flooding problem; we have a blocked/clogged/failing drain system problem,” Litchfield concluded.

Beaufort City Manager Scott Marshall shared this statement with Beaufort Insider: “The City has no comment with specific regard to Ms. Litchfield’s six points.  We are following Council’s direction to evaluate the project with our contracted engineers, within the context of the concerns expressed by citizens who we continue to communicate with throughout the process.  Staff will present Council with several options at our July 9 work session.”