MEGGETT TOWN HALL

August 27, 2007

7:30PM

Mayor Pro-tem Josh Garvin called the meeting of the Meggett Town Council to order. Present were Councilmen Tom Hutto, Keith McCarty, and Buster Herrington.  Also present were Attorney Dennis Rhoad and Town Clerk Gail Seabrook.  Attorney Dennis Rhoad led the prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance.

DHEC Presentation on Septic Systems

Mayor Pro-tem Josh Garvin introduced Richard Threat, with DHEC, who was invited to speak at tonight’s meeting on septic systems with special focus on engineered type systems.  Mr. Threat thanked the council for having him to speak at the meeting.  His position at DHEC is the Onsite Wastewater Supervisor.  Attending with him is Mr. Crosby who is the Regional Environmental Health Director for Charleston, Berkeley, and Dorchester Counties.  Mr. Threat said that DHEC started approving the engineered type systems about two years ago.  Mr. Threat stated that S.C. is one of the few states along with Alabama, North Carolina and Mississippi that have greater than 40% of the population utilizing septic systems rather than public sewer systems.  He also indicated that people seem to be moving to the coastal areas of the state.  By the year 2010 it is expected that probably 1/3^rd of the state’s population will live along the coastal areas of the state.

Procedure for application for septic system

1)     Submit application form along with a deed or plat, a detail scale site plan, and $150 fee.

2)     DHEC will then ask the applicant to place a site sign to identify the lot, flag property corners, and stake out the four corners of the proposed location of the house. 

3)     Once DHEC has been notified that the above process has been completed they will then do an on-site visit and evaluate the property in compliance with standards and regulations to determine what type of system can be placed on that property.  Their recommendation will be based on soil analysis, topographic features and setbacks.   If the evaluation of the property should fail to meet the standards required for a permit, the property owner has two avenues that they can proceed with at that point.  They can request an administrative field review from the Columbia office which provides a second on site evaluation of the property.  Basically this is a second evaluation to be sure nothing was missed according to the standards.  The second thing the property owner can pursue is to have an engineered design system.

Types of septic systems

There are three types of septic systems that DHEC will issue permits for:  The conventional type system, the modified system and the mounded system.  There are two types of mounded type systems.  One type is referred to as the elevated infiltration system and the other is the above grounded or mounded field system.  The later is not used much because it uses a lot of sand and the cost of sand pushes the cost of the system high.  There are four parts to a septic system.  The house is the source, the tank collects all the solids and liquids, the drain field is the disposal area for all of the waste water and important is the soil for absorbtion.   If you do not have ideal soil conditions the septic systems will not work efficiently.  Two factors that can prevent soil absorption are high water table and tight textures such as clay.  Both of these conditions are quite common in the low country along the coastal areas which includes the Meggett area. 

Working mechanism of septic systems

The working mechanism of a septic system is that the water enters the tank from the source area.  The retention time in the tank is usually 2 to 3 days.  This allows time for the water and solids and grease to separate with solids settling at the bottom, grease at the top and liquid in the middle.  The liquid then goes into the drain field and then is absorbed into the ground area.  The dryer the soil the faster the absorption rate; whereas with wetness the soil will take a long time for absorption.  What you want is an aerated zone between the bottom of the drain field and the ground water level.  This determines the depth of the drain field.  It is important that the water released from the drain field is purified before it goes into the ground water.  This is the main purpose for the soil testing when approving a septic system.

Engineered Designed Systems

The Engineered Designed Systems were adopted for use by the state about 2 years ago because of so many non buildable lots.  When a property doesn’t meet the requirements for a standard type septic system, an alternative solution is a engineered design system.  A couple of things that are required for a permit to be issued for engineered type systems are that  a soil classifier who is licensed through DNR would need to do a soils report and that the design must be done by a registered professional engineer.  The design must meet the requirements stipulated in section 6156.  DHEC will review and issue a permit provided all regulations are met by the design.  When an engineered design system is placed, the liability is placed on the engineer that did the design rather than the department.  These designed systems are limited to a flow of 1500 GPD (gallons per day).  An average 4 bedroom home generally is sized on 480 GPD.  So technically 1500 GPD is a pretty high flow rate.  The Engineered systems are designed to have a cleaner effluent coming out than a normal septic system would.  These engineered systems go through different processes to clean up the wastewater such as aeration, and filtration.  The key factor in the engineered type systems working properly is the operation and maintenance.  It is most important to have an ongoing maintenance plan with these systems.  Actually one of the requirements by DHEC is for the engineer to submit with his package a detail of how he is to achieve an ongoing maintenance plan of these systems.  The engineered systems are a little more costly than conventional type systems.  Generally they range from about $16,000 to about $30,000 which includes the soil classifier, surveyor, and licensed engineer and the actually installation of the system.  Mr. Threat showed diagrams of the different types of engineered systems and went through the procedure of how each worked.  The first diagram he presented demonstrated how the aerobic treatment unit works.  For the most part the waste water goes into a holding tank where solids, grease, and liquid are separated.  Then the liquid goes into a second chamber.  In the second chamber a pump with a fan aerates the water and this process breaks down the bacteria.  It then goes into the third chamber and is pushed through a filtration system to remove any other waste particles and then it leaves this chamber and goes into the drain field.  The next type of system is a filtration type system in which the liquid waste water leaves the holding chamber and spray nozzles distribute the water through a box type chamber where there are multiple panels of filters.  Bacteria live on these sheet type filters and break down the waste water.  It is circulated a couple of times through the system and then goes into the drain field.  This is probably one of the most common used systems in this area.  Another type system seen a lot in this area is a two chamber in which at the second tank the filtration material is similar to the type of material that is used in bean bag chairs.  The water is sprayed and is filtered through these bean type filters several times and the water is cleaned as it passes through the filtering and then goes into the drain field.  Another system uses peat moss which is a more natural type of material as a filtering system rather than a synthetic type of filters.  Almost all of these types of systems are electronic somewhat in nature because they require pumps.  Some of these systems are actually monitored through the phone lines to the companies that provide the maintenance to the systems.  This helps them to detect problems and provide quick repairs when needed.  Most of them also have a high water alarm should the water get too high in the tank.  After the water is processed through the filtering system it is pushed out into a drain field that distributes the clean water through a drip type irrigation flexible pipe that is about 1” in diameter with holes that allows release about every 2”.  Companies that provide maintenance for these systems will usually have on site inspection two to four times a year.  The filters for the engineered systems only need to be cleaned anywhere from a year up to three years depending on the amount of use.  The system that uses the peat type filtering system will need to have the peat replaced about every five years whereas the systems that use some type of synthetic filtering can usually just be hosed off and replaced.

Question:  What is the history of use for these systems?

Response:  North Carolina has been using these systems for about ten to fifteen years and has had great success with them.  Once again the key to these systems working successfully is maintenance.

Question:  What safeguards can be taken to insure that the maintenance contract is maintained by the homeowner. 

Response:  Mr. Thread stated that when a permit is issued, a requirement by DHEC is to have a copy of the maintenance contract.  A lot of the companies also notify DHEC if the maintenance contract is dropped by the homeowner.  Technically DHEC has no recourse to force the homeowner to have a maintenance contract except at the time of permitting.  However, basically just like a conventional type system, when a problem occurs and there is a backup, you are going to get someone out to fix the problem or be faced with a sewer back up in your home.

Question:  Since these systems obviously need electricity to operate the pumps what happens with a power outage and is a backup generator required. 

Response:  The generators are not required but are recommended. 

Question:  What is an average cost for a maintenance contract?

Response:  The cost usually will range from about $300 to $425 per year.

Question:  Without electricity how long will it take the system to back up and fail?

Response:  Generally these systems are placed on property where public water is not available and therefore well water is used.  Without electricity, the wells won’t work and therefore if no water is put into the system no problems would occur.  The only problem that may occur is with the air aerobic type system.  With this system if power failure should occur for a long extended time the bacteria may die and may have to be reseeded.

Question:  How often will the solids need to be pumped out of these types of system?

Response:  The time frame is pretty much the same as a normal type of septic system.  It is recommended that every 3 to 5 years a system be pumped.  You want to keep the solids from getting into your drain fields whether it be a conventional type septic system or an engineered type system.

Question:  Are any of these systems designed to handle subdivisions?

Response:  These systems are mainly designed to handle individual residents.  Generally they are designed to only handle up to 1500 GPD.  Soil requirements for large scale type systems that could handle a subdivision are a lot different than these type systems.

Question:  What is the water quality of the effluent water?

Response:  A lot of the companies claim that the water distributed into the ground from the drain hose is actually drinkable even through this is not recommended.  Some companies actually have a chlorination process and some actually use an ultra violent light to kill bacteria.  A lot of these systems are very high tech.  Bottom line is that it is much cleaner than a normal septic type system.

Question:  According to the presentation diagrams it appears some of the systems are actually above ground.  Are they above or below ground?

Response:  The diagrams are just for clarity of how they work and the systems are placed below ground.  The drain field is placed only about 9” under the ground.  However parts of the system may be at ground level such as the access to the filtering system for easy access.

Question:  With the drain field being so close to the surface has problems occurred with it being cut and could it be detected should a cut be made?

Response:  If you are not aware of the location of the line, it is possible that if you are digging in the area it could be cut.  We have had some utilities companies that have cut right through the drain fields before when they were not aware of their locations.  Since the drain field in under pressure you would probably know the location of the cut because when the pump turned on to push the water through the drain field it would spray out in that area. 

Question:  Are the companies required to be licensed that are in this type of business. 

Response:  Most of the companies are reputable and have been in this type of business for a long time.  Basically they would not be able to sell the product if they did not stand behind their product and provide good service.  Remember these systems require being designed by a professional engineer who has researched the system and is required to uphold the design.

Question:  Are there other states that use these systems other than North Carolina?

Response:  Yes, pretty much they are used nation wide.  Some of the states are Louisiana, Alaska, California, Florida, Alabama and most of the other southeastern states.

Question:  If the drain field is damaged how easy is it to be repaired and would the entire pipe for the drain field need to be replaced. 

Response:  Depending on where the pipe was cut.  If it was cut in the middle you may be better off replacing the whole pipe which is pretty easy to do.  However, if just one line was cut they do have adapter kits for repairs.  Another good feature with this flexible polyethylene type pipe is that the inside is impregnated with a bacteria side and a fugue side that kills any roots that may try to grow into the line.    

Question:  How do septic systems, whether conventional or engineered, compare to public sewer in regards to public health and environmental concerns? 

Response:  On tests that have been done, it was found that septic systems were comparable to pubic sewer as far as health and safety of disposal water.  It all goes back again to maintenance.  If they are maintained they work very efficiently.

At this point, with no further questions from the residents, Tom Hutto thanked Mr. Threat for coming and giving the presentation to the council and the resident.

Approval of minutes

Pro-tem Josh Garvin asked for a motion to approve the minutes from the July council meeting.  Councilman Keith McCarty made a motion to accept the minutes as written. Councilman Buster Herrington seconded the motion.  All approved.

Proclamation: 

Pro-tem Josh Garvin read aloud the proclamation #06-2007 proclaiming September 15, 2007 as Beach Sweep/River Sweep Day.  (See attached proclamation)  Councilman Keith McCarty made a motion to accept the proclamation as written.  Councilman Tom Hutto seconded the motion.  All approved

Old Business

Pro-tem Josh Garvin announced that Mayor Coffin was attending a meeting regarding Harmony Hall being conveyed to Charleston County Parks and Recreation.  He went on to state that he understood that the closing had been extended for 30 days but did not know any details as to why.

Pro-tem Josh Garvin asked if there was any other old business.  Gail Seabrook said that he may want to mention that the Charleston County Police had declined the use of the room downstairs in the SCPA Building that was offered to them for their use.  They felt that since they had a substation already in Ravenel this was too close to their existing location and they actually preferred the officers to spend as much time as possible patrolling the area instead of spending time in an office.  They indicated they appreciated the offer but felt the room would not be utilized as much as Meggett may have thought it would be and did not want the Town to be disappointed in the time that it would be used. 

Councilman Tom Hutto inquired what the council needed to do to move forward with the issues that were discussed at the special council meeting held on August 8.  These issues included land requirements for horses, height requirements for buildings and should an Architectural Review Board be formed.  Attorney Rhoad spoke up and said that the proper procedure would be for Council to notify the Planning Commissioners of these issues and have the Planning Commissioners hold a public meeting and come up with recommendations that they would in turn present to Council.  Tom Hutto said that there were several areas in our existing ordinances that needed to be looked at to have a clearer understanding of the wording such as the buffer area in the historical district and the horse issue as well as height restrictions.  Mayor Coffin who had arrived at the meeting asked if he could interrupt and stated that a workshop needed to be set up and have Andrea from Charleston County Planning to attend.  Andrea had indicated to Mayor Coffin that she had come across some things in our document that are not in accordance with state laws.  These issues could be addressed at the same time. A work shop needs to be set up with Andrea and the information noted and given to the Planning Commission for their review and recommendations.

Councilman Tom Hutto asked Mayor Coffin if he had heard back from Hollywood or Ravenel about an alliance meeting.  Mayor Coffin indicated he had not heard back from them.  Opel Baldwin was suppose to set up an alliance meeting through Ravenel about the Trident Tech classes in this area but so far he has not heard from her.  He said that maybe Meggett should move forward and take the lead on this.  He said he would try to schedule an alliance meeting in September to discuss support for Trident Tech possibility holding some classes.  This is pretty exciting and would really be good for this area.  Councilman Tom Hutto also mentioned that at the last meeting Tommy Butler inquired if the Town planned to take a position regarding the WestVaco land in East Edisto.  Councilman Hutto thought this could also be added to the agenda when the alliance meeting was scheduled.  Mayor Coffin said he didn’t have a problem with doing that or we might do two separate things, but definitely we need to proceed with the Trident Tech issue because the time was right.  He said he would talk with Mayor Baldwin and Mayor Heyward and see what they want.  Tom Hutto said the last thing he had on his list was to know if the guy had come by about the high speed internet connection.  Gail Seabrook informed Tom he had come by and provided a quote for the equipment but had not returned to do the installation.  A copy of his quote is placed in each councilman’s folder for their review.  Tom offered to give him a call and set a time for installation.

New Business

No new business

Miscellaneous Report:

Gail Seabrook in Ellie Prentiss’s absence provided the miscellaneous report

1)       August 8^th David Bushmire came by to determine the best location for the high speed internet connection.  The cost will be $100 plus wiring cost.

2)       The April in Meggett Festival will sponsor an art contest for students in the Low Country.  Grades K-12^th.  The application was sent to Attorney Rhoad for approval.  Applications will be sent to the schools in September.  Winners will have their art displayed at the festival in April 2008.

3)       The punch list for the SCPA Building was completed by Roger Bradham.  He caulked 41 windows and gave the Town a 50% discount from the original proposal.  Some of the items on Mr. Larkin’s  repair list were addressed.  Mr. Bradham will provide a proposal for re-opening the front door when he returns from out of town.  Schaffer’s Painting has been contacted to look at the problems under Mr. Larkin’s windows.  Mr. Schaffer said he was about a month behind on his work and it may be at least a month before he could come and look at the problem.  Because it has been two years he will have to charge a fee to repaint.

4)       It appears the leaks have been stopped in the SCPA Building

5)       The audit agreement letter from Killen & Assoc. is in your folder for year ending in June, 2006. (FYI: The GASB34 is a new financial reporting required for state and local governments.  This is the first year that Meggett has been required to use the GASB34.)

6)       Metal Trades is considering using the SCPA Building for Management Training from 11:30 am to 2:30 pm every Wednesday for twelve weeks.  No date has been scheduled but is estimated to begin around the end of September.

7)       St. Pauls Academy will use the Community Room and Town Hall Oct. 13^th for a fund raiser.

8)       Yoga classes will begin again this Thursday from 5-6:30 pm in the community room.

9)       Next Council meeting Sept 24, 2007 7:30

10)   The estimate from Chris Wilson for adding A/C return vent is in your folders.

Scheduled Meetings:

At this point a motion was made to amend the agenda to state that Council would go into executive session after this meeting to discuss a contractual matter.  The motion was second and all approved.

Public Comments

1)     Mayor Coffin offered to share with everyone what he had found out about at the meeting he attended tonight regarding Harmony Hall.  He said he wasn’t sure that the transaction would take place with the purchase of Harmony Hall by the Parks and Recreation Committee but it was clear that they did intend to do what ever was necessary from a legal stand point to make sure that Mr. Stanley complies with the contract for the sale of the property.  A resident asked if there was a problem on Mr. Stanley’s part.  Mayor Coffin indicated that Mr. Stanley had not come to the closing.  Attorney Rhoad explained that from a legal stand point the general rule is that the buyer can force the seller to perform the terms of the contract and force the property to be sold to the buyer.  Attorney Rhoad did indicate that he had not seen the actually contract between Mr. Stanley and the Parks and Recreation Department and was not familiar with what the terms of this contract stated.  Mayor Coffin continued with the information stating that it was announced that there was a 30 day postponement of the closing.  Attorney Rhoad asked if the PRC actually took a public vote.  Mayor Coffin said that the PRC went into executive session to discuss the matter and then came out and directed their attorney to take all legal action to protect the interest of the PRC.  It was voted on unanimously.  Mayor Coffin stressed that this is such an important issue for the community and he will keep everyone posted with any updateds of the situation as soon as he hears anything.  He said he had been told by the Director of the PRC that they plan to hold Mr. Stanley to the contract.  

With no further comments, Councilman Keith McCarty made a motion to go into executive session.  Second by Tom Hutto and all voted in favor.  Regular public meeting was adjourned.

Submitted by Town Clerk: Gail Seabrook