Lake to hold workshop Jan. 22

• Piers, canal problems to be considered.

By JEFFERSON WEAVER
Staff Writer

Two long-term concerns at Lake Waccamaw will be considered in a Jan. 22 workshop.

Town Manager Darren Currie said the board of commissioners voted to hold a special workshop on that date to discuss the ongoing debate over pier inspections. The town’s role in preventing storm water runoff from the main canal into the lake will also be discussed.

“Both are issues we’ve been dealing with for some time,” Currie said.

After an accidental electrocution at Lake Waccamaw in 2004, the state determined that local governments are responsible for ensuring piers and docks meet state building and wiring codes. The N.C. State Parks Division, which manages Lake Waccamaw and other bay lakes, performs annual inspections on piers, but park rangers are not certified building inspectors, Currie explained.

“If they see a gaping hole in the deck boards, or another violation like that, they’ll report it,” he said. “Most of their inspections involve different criteria than those of the local building inspectors.”

Currie said the town has considered and rejected several versions of the pier standards ordinance.

Local officials tried to create a plan that stayed within the code but still made sure piers and docks were sturdy and safe, but those plans became too complicated for easy enforcement.

Property owners also criticized plans for annual or biennial inspections, as well as a proposed schedule of fees. Critics pointed out that the state already charges $70 per inspection, and an additional charge by the town was considered unnecessary.

The latest version is the simplest, Currie said.

“It basically says piers and docks have to meet state building and wiring codes,” he said. “It can’t get any simpler than that.

This draft will also solve some of our problems regarding more pro-active inspections and enforcement.”

Under the new plan, private piers will be inspected every other year, and commercial or jointly owned piers would be visited annually. The town has its own certified building inspector.

Currie said he has hopes the town board will approve the final draft at the Jan. 22 workshop.

“We are just looking for some direction from the board on how to proceed,” he said.

The second issue to be discussed at the meeting involves the outlets from the canal to Lake Waccamaw.

Water from the canal can enter the lake at two points of concern, Currie explained. One is under the bridge near the McNeill home along Canal Cove Drive, and the second is at the boat ramp near the end of Canal Cove.

State and federal water quality officials ordered the points closed in the 1990s, but a state effort to install a weir at the bridge was never completed.

Two 48-inch culverts near the boat landing were blocked off, but were recently cleared, apparently by a neighboring property owner.

According to a brief by Kevin Lindsay, a Hobbs, Upchurch and Associates engineer handling the storm water project for the town, the flow between the lake and the canal should be controlled, rather than stopped.

The canal helps move excess water away from homes and the roadbed during periods of heavy rain.

On the other hand, Currie said, state officials want the passages blocked to prevent pollution from entering the lake.

The canal drains downstream through a swamp before emptying into the Waccamaw River.

“We’re trying to decide whether to keep spending funds on this project or not,” Currie said. “It’s been going on for awhile, and we need some direction.”