November 21, 2006
Sewee to Santee community leaders and members, State and County Officials, and Mount Pleasant Waterworks Commissioners and staff gathered at the McClellanville EMS Station Sunday to celebrate the opening of the three dispensing stations that will serve the Sewee to Santee Community. Residents from rural East Cooper’s Sewee to Santee community celebrated Sunday’s opening by pouring out rust-colored well water from containers and filling them with clean, safe water to take home. These neighbors came together, young and old, black and white, all sharing the common bond of having endured years of contaminated, sulfur-smelling water from shallow wells.
Sunday’s milestone means access to safe drinking water for more than 2,400 rural East Cooper residents many of whom have never known clean water. In fact, studies of the region revealed that a dozen residents are relying on pitcher pumps for water and utilize outdoor privies as toilets. The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control ranks the South Santee region as the state’s second worst area in need of clean water. The residents of the unincorporated areas around McClellanville asked for MPW's help at a public meeting in February 2006. As an interim and timely solution MPW Commissioners approved the construction of three water dispensing stations where residents can fill containers with clean healthy drinking water rather than the contaminated water from their wells or purchasing bottled water at high prices.
This project is a true story of regional cooperation. Charleston County and Mount Pleasant Waterworks provided funding. The Charleston County School District and Charleston County entered agreements with Mount Pleasant Waterworks to provide the land for the dispensing stations. The clean water these residents will enjoy would not have been possible without the cooperation and support of these entities.
|
|
|
