By Ben Robinson
Staff Reporter

brobinson@thepccourier.com

PICKENS — Pickens resident William Barber brought his stormwater complaints to the city Monday night during city council’s monthly work session meeting at Pickens City Hall.

Barber reported that lack of drainage around a ditch was causing large puddles of water in his yard.

“You have to change shoes just to go to the car because the yard’s so full of water,” Barber said. “All that water is coming across the road, coming in the yard.”

The problem is that Barber’s home is in city limits, but the roads draining into his yard are not.

“Your situation is unique,” city public works director Cory Cox said. “You live in the city, but it’s by a (Department of Transportation) storm drain. The DOT is not going to do work on your property.”

Cox said that while his department does not generally work on private property, it also has to respect DOT worksites.

“We haven’t forgotten you,” Cox said “We’re trying to come up with a solution that works for you and us. We understand your problem. It’s a unique scenario that’s kind of difficult to fix, but we’re working on it.”

Mayor David Owens said he faces a similar problem with his property. He advised Burgess to clean out the ditch to allow the water to flow past his yard.