Columbia, SC (WLTX)-With the swim advisory for the Saluda river still in place Tuesday because of sewage levels from a Carolina Water Service plant, lawmakers and environmentalists want to push the company out.
It comes after a long history of CWS violations; The bacterial levels from the company's I-20 plant was a much talked about issue last summer.
The Congaree Riverkeeper Bill Stangler said he saw problems at the Saluda Shoals location about a month before the Department of Health and Environmental Control issued the advisory last week.
"We know that we have had either one consistent problem for a month or multiple issues throughout May and June," he said. "Our sampling in late May showed that there were water quality problems from the Friarsgate facility."
Stangler said this most recent incident could be a turning point, and legislators like Rep. James Smith agree.
"For me, Carolina Water Service's days are numbered in their operations here," Smith said.
The Richland County democrat said there are times when the state has to step in, and said one option is to go through a condemnation process to get CWS out.
"The state, through it's imminent domain power, comes in and condemns the property, takes it over, and removes them involuntarily from the facility," Smith said.
Senator Nikki Setzler said he would support legislation next session, but thinks DHEC has the authority to address the problem now.
"There needs to be strict regulations and there needs to be very stiff penalties, and they need to be held accountable to what they're doing in south carolina," Setzler said. "I think they have the authority now but they need to move forward now."
Ultimately, lawmakers and environmentalists say the goal is to get the company out of operating in the Midlands.
"I'd like to see them leave," Smith said. "I'd like to see them out of providing wastewater and water services in this region."
"I think the last of the problems we'll see from Carolina Water Service will happen when they end that discharge and pull that pipe out of the river," Stangler said. "That's what it's going to take, because if they're allowed to continue operating that business like they have, were going to have problems again and again, and we've seen that happen."
We reached out to CWS for comment on this story. They did not respond to our requests but late last week told us they fixed the problem and stopped the discharge.
DHEC would not go on camera for an interview and answer our questions directly, but they did say this about the enforcement process.
"In general, the enforcement process starts when violations are documented by DHEC. The enforcement section will send the permittee a Notice of Violation which may either schedule a conference or require the permittee submit a response regarding how the violations have been addressed. If the permittee fails to address the violations, DHEC may issue an order requiring compliance with the statute, regulation, or permit violated. The order may include a penalty. Violations can result in fines up to a maximum of $10,000 per day.
Stangler said fines have not been properly levied by the state agency.
"There are a handful of actions that our state regulators can take, one of the things that DHEC can do is appropriately fine them so that they are not making money by breaking the law."
The Congaree Riverkeeper's lawsuit against CWS is in federal court right now, and the ruling could come down soon.
If you are interested in having your voice heard, you should contact your elected officials and the Department of Health and Environmental Control. The Congaree Riverkeeper will also be posting more information to their social media sites this week.