Nonprofit kicks off campaign to connect Hilton Head homes to sanitary sewer

A new $500,000 grant from a local nonprofit, the Community Foundation of the Lowcountry, is kickstarting an effort to bring sewer service to low-income homes on Hilton Head Island.

“There has been a lot of promises over the years that have not been fulfilled,” said Bill Stinnett, chairman of the foundation’s Project Safe committee that is working to raise money to hook up homes to the town’s sewer lines. He said the grant shows the foundation is ready to change that.

About 1,000 Hilton Head homes lack sewer connections. Instead, the properties rely on septic tanks, which can back up and create unsanitary conditions.

Reporting by The Island Packet in 2015 documented the unsafe conditions faulty septic tanks are creating on the island’s north end where many native islanders live.

“You walk outside your house, and you see puddles bubbling,” Bondie Brown, who lives in the Spanish Wells area, said on Tuesday. “And then you smell it and you walk around and start seeing more puddles bubbling.”

Rochelle Williams, who also lives in the Spanish Wells area, said there is an immediate need to fix the problem.

“It is a health hazard,” Williams said, adding that she took a short shower Tuesday morning because, if she didn’t keep it short, water wouldn’t properly drain from her home’s septic tank. The pipes are backed up from rain the area had on Friday, she said.

The unsanitary conditions are also posing an increasing hindrance for economic development efforts, said Denise Spencer, the foundation’s president.

“As tourism expands throughout the island, so do bike paths, and we don’t want tourists to smell there is a problem,” she said.

Quality of water is another issue, said Jim Allhusen, incoming Project Safe committee chairman. He said aging septic tanks can overflow and seep into the water system and fishing areas.

The foundation decided to recommit to bringing sewer service to island homes after Hilton Head Town Council’s decision last year to expand its sewer lines. About 400 island households have been connected to public sewers since the Project Safe initiative was created through the foundation in 2000.

“It does not do any good to have sewer lines extended to parts of the island if no one can afford to hook into it,” Spencer said. “It also doesn’t help us if we don’t have lines to hook people into.”

Town Council approved $3.5 million in December to provide sewer access to every Hilton Head resident by 2020. The decision followed a campaign promise from Mayor David Bennett. The total project will cost about $7.1 million, including the already committed $3.5 million.

Marc Grant, a Town Council member, said residents who need the sewer hookups realize that other people are helping them when they donate to the foundation’s cause.

“They greatly appreciate it,” Grant said. “It is a good thing that there are people out there volunteering to find ways to help these people.”

Allhusen said the foundation’s efforts to raise money are going to be extensive. This could include private and public grants. It also will mean many discussions with island residents.

“For all of you out there, keep your ears and eyes open. We will be asking you for help,” Allhusen said.

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This story was originally published June 21, 2016 at 9:37 PM with the headline "Nonprofit kicks off campaign to connect Hilton Head homes to sanitary sewer."