Horry County, SC – Drainage improvements in the Town of Surfside Beach entered the construction phase on December 9th, 2024. After some preliminary work, the project is breaking ground in early January 2025. The construction of this project is funded by $1.17M from SCOR’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Stormwater Infrastructure Program (ASIP). The project will install drainage pipes and catch basins on 2nd, 11th, and 14th Avenues North. With no current drainage capacity, the area experiences severe runoff volumes and speeds creating the need for flood and erosion protection. This is due in large part to the two basins being the last to be developed in the Town of Surfside Beach.

“Right now, runoff is not channeled through any stormwater system in these basins,” explains Pam Kendrick, SCOR Infrastructure program manager. “This project will help remove stormwater runoff from roadways and into a piped system where the water can infiltrate into the soil.”

In both the Upper Myrtle and Magnolia drainage basins, a combination of reinforced concrete pipes and a ‘perc system’ will take pressure off of existing drainage systems. The 18” perc system will use a series of perforated pipes to facilitate faster absorption of water into the ground. In addition to reducing the amount of standing water in the current system, the perc pipes will allow as much stormwater to infiltrate into the soil to improve the water quality and prevent high levels of polluted water from reaching the ocean.

In addition to ARPA funds from SCOR, the Horry County ARP Infrastructure Grant is contributing a cost share of $500,000 with the Town of Surfside Beach Stormwater Utility fund covering any remaining costs.

“The Town is very excited to begin work on the North Side Drainage Project – Phase 2,” says Public Works Director John Adair. “Surfside Beach prides itself on its commitment to resilience, and to the people who live and invest here. The assistance provided by SCOR has been invaluable in attaining our mitigation goals.”

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.