Lagoon #150/164

As of 9:00 AM this morning, there is still no construction activity/pumping at lagoon #150

Lagoon #164 Update:
I also checked the rip-rap overflow at lagoon #164 this AM and it looks like the contractor has improved the backside of the overflow by extending the rocks to the bottom of the embankment, thereby also increasing the slope a little bit. I don't know if the backside slope is good enough yet to prevent erosion.

Lagoon #150

As of 8:45 AM today there was no evidence of any further work being initiated at lagoon #150. The pump is there but no sign of the construction crew.
I spoke with Sarah Carnrick about the fish recovery. Estate Management did recover some fish yesterday but they were small and of varying variety. Some baby bass were in the "catch", but no evidence of momma/poppa bass. Apparently, Estate Management did not go into the reeds where the larger fish would most likely be hiding. We want the larger fish also! Estate Management needs to do a better job of recovery. It makes no sense to allow the larger fish to perish when the lagoon is drained (Estate Management is currently not planning any more recovery work at L-150).

Note: Lagoon #150 is at the corner of Bishop St. and French Garden Lane in the Murray Hill Neighborhood.


UPDATE: As of 7:00PM tonight work has still not started on lagoon#150

Lagoon #150

Although they are almost one-and-a-half weeks late in starting the work, Pulte has finally initiated work on lagoon #150. I was there at about 1:00PM today and Estate Management Co. was preparing to recover the fish. The recovery process is estimated to take a couple of hours. They were told by Sara Carnrick (Fishing Club BOD member) to put any recovered fish in lagoon #151, which is right across the way on Bishop street.
The construction contractor also has a large pump on site and ready to go as soon as the fish recovery is completed. Hopefully they'll start pumping late today or, at the latest, tomorrow morning. Stay Tuned!

Background, Goal, and Mission

Background
Phase 5 lagoons in SCHH were constructed in the 2005/2006 timeframe. Soon after moving in to their new homes many residents complained to Pulte about the poor condition of the lagoons. Residents contacted Beaufort County, to no avail, and then in 2007 began contacting SC's DHEC-OCRM (Department of Health and Environmental Control- Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management).

After many months of inaction by Pulte to fix the lagoons, a Phase 5 Lagoon Committee comprised of representatives from Aster Fields, Basket Walk, Murray Hill, and Water Lilly Cove was formed to focus on getting resolution to the lagoon problems. The committee eventually developed a comprehensive report titled "Phase 5 Lagoon Committee Report". The extensive report, supported by engineering data from our two resident engineering consultants, was released in early January 2009 -in time for a Public Hearing scheduled by DHEC-OCRM that month. The report can be accessed at: www.myschh.com/lagoons

On January 22, 2009, the Public Hearing was held by DHEC-OCRM to a packed house at SCHH's Magnolia Hall (about 100-to-150 additional attendees were turned away due to fire-law restrictions). DHEC-OCRM's goal was to hear directly from SCHH residents specifically about Phase 5 lagoon issues. At the meeting, Pulte Vice President Mr. Jon Cherry announced that the lagoon problems would be fixed by Pulte at no cost to residents.

On March 10, 2009 Pulte presented its "Phase 5 Lagoon Action Plan" to the Phase 5 Lagoon Committee and several other SCHH attendees. Given that it was the first sign of Pulte's agreement to fix the lagoon problems, the "Action Plan" was cautiously well-received by the Lagoon Committee. However, there were some concerns expressed at that meeting about several lagoons not listed in the "Action Plan". Pulte contends that depth issues with those lagoons will be automatically resolved when they fix the associated up-stream lagoons. There is also an unresolved issue about how Pulte's engineering firm, Thomas & Hutton, calculates water depth. We also have concerns about the design of the outfall and rip-rap overflow structures. In order to get the work started, we agreed to go along with Pulte's "Action Plan" while we continue to resolve any open issues.

The above photo shows a bird walking in the middle of a lagoon that is supposed to be 5 feet average depth!

Goal

Our goal for this "site" is to ensure that all SCHH residents, and any other interested parties, have access to important information regarding the reconstruction of the SCHH Phase 5 lagoons.

Mission

Our Mission for this site is to:

1. Provide relevant and timely information regarding the reconstruction of Phase-5 lagoons.
2. Be a repository of project information.
3. Provide a record of the project.
4. Answer questions regarding the project.
5. Receive relevant & timely information from any SCHH resident, and any other interested parties, via comments to the posts on the website, emails, or phone calls. Note- The Phase-5 Lagoon Committee will be monitoring the project. However, it is important that residents, especially those residing on lagoon property, also monitor the project and report all issues/concerns ASAP.
6. Provide a vehicle for keeping the pressure on Pulte to satisfactorily complete all work on Phase 5 lagoons, including further direct and coordinated action by residents, as necessary.