A stretch of US 278 was shut down Friday after 250K-gallon sewage leak near Bluffton
A 250,000-gallon sewage leak forced a half-mile stretch of U.S. 278 near Bluffton to be shut down for hours Friday, according to news releases from Beaufort-Jasper Water & Sewer Authority and the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.
BJWSA said the wastewater leaked after a contractor damaged a sewage pipe at 98 Fording Island Road around 9 a.m. Friday. About 10,000 gallons flowed into a drainage ditch on property near 17 Graves Road, the agency said.
An email sent at 3 p.m. Friday by JS Construction Services notified local agencies that the stretch of U.S. 278 between Hilton Head Honda and the intersection with Hampton Parkway would have to close due to the spill.
The spill happened near property currently under construction at Pepper Hall, a controversial public-private partnership between Beaufort County and property owner Robert Graves.
Next door to a planned 18-acre park, Graves plans to build a large residential and commercial development with 109 homes, over 170 townhomes and 336 apartment units, according to a 2020 presentation from his attorneys.
Beaufort County Council Chair Joe Passiment said Saturday he did not know whether the sewage leak was related to the ongoing construction at Pepper Hall.
Much of Friday’s spill was contained by the contractor, BJWSA said. The agency said it was working with the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control “to address any effects caused by the overflow.”
“BJWSA crews immediately responded and repaired the mainline,” the agency said Friday. “It has been returned to operation ... All of the standing sewer is recoverable.”
Separately on Friday, the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office announced at 2 p.m. that the westbound right lane of U.S. 278 was closed for a sewer line repair. Two hours later, the agency said the lane would be closed “up until as late as midnight.”
On Saturday morning, the right lane was open and BJWSA had placed signs near the location of the sewage spill.
Pamela Flasch, BJWSA’s director of public affairs, did not immediately return a call for comment Saturday.
