The Lexington County Land Development Division has released a report outlining the progress made in mitigating the potential flooding hazards throughout the county.
The report lists 22 action items identified by county officials and residents and published in the 2017 Floodplain Management Plan as important steps in addressing how the county will prepare for future potential flooding events, like the one experienced in October 2015.
“This progress report should show the county’s residents that we are working hard to ensure we do everything we can to avoid the impacts of flooding in our communities,” Lexington County Council Chairman Scott Whetstone said. “We cannot control nature. However, we can do our best to ensure our residents are knowledgeable and prepared of potential flooding hazards.”
Among the action items, the county has bought 11 of 19 repetitive-loss properties. Repetitive loss properties are defined by FEMA as a National Flood Insurance Program insured structure that has had at least two paid flood losses of $1,000 each in any 10-year period since 1978. The county purchased the properties from voluntary homeowners through the Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery program.
Once owned by the county, federal law mandates that the structures on the properties be demolished and the land be returned to its natural, green state. No structures can be built on the property, and the county cannot sell any property it acquires through the CDBG-DR program.
Additionally, the county’s Public Works department bought a remote-controlled pipe camera through their annual budget, allowing officials to identify clogged or damaged underground stormwater drains. The camera offers a way to identify potential flood hazards in neighborhoods and give real time information on what is causing a stormwater drain to fault and how to fix it before the problem results in flooding.
The report also says three bridges maintained by the county are currently being redesigned and replaced. These designs are aimed at lessening the potential for flooding during a storm event.
Lexington County residents can find the full 2019 Floodplain Management Plan Progress Report, as well as the county’s Floodplain Management Plan, on the county’s website at https://lex-co.sc.gov/departments/public-works/floodplain-management.
