City of Sumter, SC – The South Carolina Office of Resilience (SCOR) is pleased that construction began on the Miller to Morgan Avenue Stormwater Improvements project in the City of Sumter. Following a Notice to Proceed on November 4th, 2024, approximately 2,700 linear feet of existing underground stormwater infrastructure is being removed and replaced to reduce flooding in the area. The project area in downtown Sumter spans from Morgan Avenue to Miller Road, crossing North Milton Road, Carolina Avenue, and Highland Avenue. Construction is expected to end by Spring of 2025.

The project addresses frequent flooding issues in the City of Sumter, which reported five instances of notable flooding in the project area between 2015 and 2020 when applying for project funding. Flood damage resulting from these events includes: 80 residential properties, two churches, one industrial facility, and two commercial properties. The City of Sumter estimates the total cost of damage from those events was $2 million.

“This project is an example of the State of South Carolina's commitment to helping communities not only recover from flooding events but reduce the impacts of future events,” said South Carolina Speaker of the House, Rep. Murrell Smith. “The City of Sumter's citizens, businesses and wider community will benefit from this project for years to come.”

“This project has been a long time coming,” said Rep. David Weeks. “This milestone shows the State’s dedication to the well-being of Sumter’s citizens. By addressing the flooding in this area, Sumter will be safer and more resilient.”  

Improving the drainage infrastructure will allow stormwater to more efficiently flow out of the developed neighborhoods into Shot Pouch Branch. Additionally, the existing flooding issues that will be addressed extend beyond the designated project area. Residents, along with the broader community and businesses, will benefit from a decreased risk of flood hazards. This advances our office’s mission to increase the resilience of communities by enabling them anticipate, absorb, recover, and thrive in the face of environmental change and natural disasters.

The project is primarily funded by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)’s Community Development Block Grant Mitigation (CDBG-MIT), through the Office of Resilience. In addition to the $3.1 million awarded by SCOR, the City of Sumter provided a $250K local cost share. To date, SCOR has committed $99 million statewide in CDBG-MIT funds to public infrastructure projects to reduce hazards. These projects include a variety of activities such as storm sewer installations, upgrades to retention ponds, and restorations to waterways and wetlands. SCOR is pleased to see this project begin construction, as it advances SCOR’s intention to direct funding to the State’s underserved and vulnerable communities. In selecting projects to fund through the mitigation program, communities with the most need are given preference. For this project, of the projected 1,200 people who will benefit from these improvements, over 70% are low- or moderate-income residents.

About SCOR:

The South Carolina Office of Resilience (SCOR) is committed to enhancing the state's ability to anticipate, absorb, recover, and thrive when presented with environmental changes and natural hazards by planning and coordinating statewide resilience, long-term disaster recovery, and hazard mitigation. In addition to serving 3,459 homes in our Disaster Recovery Program, SCOR has 81 active flood mitigation projects, including voluntary buyouts, stormwater infrastructure, and plans and studies, across the State. SCOR continues to implement and maintain the Strategic Statewide Resilience and Risk Reduction Plan, which provides a framework to guide investment in projects, programs, and policies to protect the people and property of South Carolina from the damage and destruction of extreme weather events.