Updating a critical sewer line

Engaging the community to update critical sewer infrastructure in Columbia, South Carolina 

The design and construction of the Lake Katherine sewer line replacement in Columbia, South Carolina, came with numerous challenges: a whopping 49 easement filings to access a variety of commercial and protected natural lands, tight working quarters and construction that ran through private homeowners’ yards. The only way to complete a task of this magnitude was by building trust and cooperation between the community’s homeowners and retailers, and our engineers and contractors.

Replacing the 2.7-mile-long sewer line was identified as a top priority after several years of evaluating major trunk sewers in Columbia’s infrastructure. Its replacement was a key part of a comprehensive program to meet capacity and structural issues.

Keeping the lines of communication open

The lake was centered on our project route where homes had been destroyed or severely damaged in 2015 when homeowners on Lake Katherine experienced a 1,000-year flood. The event overwhelmed the antiquated water infrastructure of the lake’s 1940s-era earthen dam network which had originally been dug as a water source for nearby Fort Jackson, requiring years of home repairs. In order to update the sewer line homeowners had to allow for retaining walls to be temporarily removed during construction and allow disruption to established landscaping. Additionally, we worked with the Home Owners Association (HOA) to obtain temporary easements to lower the lake water level and also build a temporary road to facilitate construction. Homeowners needed to know that their properties would be restored to their original state once all of our work was completed. A collaborative relationship with the HOA board was a key part of this success: we communicated with homeowners on progress and challenges, and the HOA relayed individual homeowners’ and retailers’ needs to us.

Working around the holiday clock

The area near Lake Katherine around Fort Jackson Boulevard is a popular shopping district with high-end eateries and boutiques that attracts shoppers from around the city of Columbia.

Our work on managing the community concerns of the commercial district rose from the potential presence of heavy machinery during the retail-heavy holiday shopping season. The easement conditions meant that we weren’t permitted on a commercial property from October 1 to January 15, a critical moment for the project. Having anticipated this we were able to schedule to work on other aspects of the project during the critical commercial shopping season.

Restoring service for today and beyond

Completion of the sewer line repairs had significant benefits for those living along the project route. The newly repaired pipeline now prevents spills and overflow and the damage and pollution that goes along with them. Additionally, Lake Katherine’s homeowners’ properties were restored to their pre-construction condition, and the city will have a sewer line equal to the task of providing service for years to come.

Further, as one part of a larger sewer replacement initiative, the Lake Katherine project is a critical link in the water system of the City of Columbia that was once rocked by the catastrophic floods of 2015. Indeed, the sewer line’s restoration has had a ripple effect on not just the immediate area, but also in neighboring communities to allow them to thrive and grow beyond Lake Katherine’s borders.