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Municipal Association of South Carolina highlights the City of Myrtle Beach's investment in stormwater drainage infrastructure

Thank you, Municipal Association of South Carolina, for highlighting the City of Myrtle Beach’s investment in stormwater drainage infrastructure in the May issue of Uptown magazine! 

To date, the city has completed a total of four deepwater outfalls that led to the removal of drainage pipes from the beach. Each outfall project includes the installation of underground pipes that carry stormwater runoff more than 1,000 feet offshore, beyond the breakers, where it benefits from sun and saltwater and is quickly diluted.  The beaches are more aesthetically pleasing and the water quality is better because the projects eliminate the need for above-ground pipes that once ran across the beach, emptying stormwater into the ocean.  In all, Myrtle Beach has spent nearly $75 million on four ocean outfall projects. 

Last year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recognized the City of Myrtle Beach for its Fourth Avenue North Deepwater Ocean Outfall Project. The EPA’s “Performance and Innovation in the SRF Creating Environmental Success (PISCES)” program acknowledges innovation in clean water infrastructure. The city received an “excellent” rating for the project, which included pre-cast concrete pipes that extend 1,400 feet into the ocean.  The pipes tie into a stormwater collection system constructed beneath a pedestrian boardwalk adjacent to the beach.