BETHUNE, S.C. — Signs are up as the Town of Bethune prepares to take public comment on efforts to secure the town's water system
“We did an assessment of our water system to try and find out where we were as far as compliance issues and what we need to do to improve water quality,” Bethune Mayor Susan Holley said.
Holley said they've been working with SCDHEC and SC Rural Water Association.
“My conversations revealed the town was out of compliance on their cross-connection control policy,” she says.
According to DHEC, in South Carolina, the cross connection control/backflow prevention program is a state-mandated program designed to protect the public's drinking water from contamination by identifying and eliminating cross connections.
“Our system only has about 250-252 meters accounts so what we will do in the coming weeks with the help of DHEC and South Carolina Water Rural Association, we will an assessment individually of every single meter. We want to see what kind of protection mechanism is on there to prevent back siphonage from the individual's property owner or business owner, or commercial property we don’t want it going into the drinking water,” she adds.
Bethune officials will hold a public hearing on at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, August 31 at 302 Norwood Street in Bethune.