City of Charleston Barberry Woods Drainage Improvement Project Receives $4.6M in State Grant Funding

Press Release

The South Carolina Office of Resilience has awarded the city of Charleston’s Barberry Woods Drainage Improvement Project $4.6 million of funding as part of its American Rescue Plan Act Stormwater Infrastructure program.

“The Barberry Woods Drainage Improvement Project is a model for what’s possible in the new, Dutch Dialogues-inspired era of flood resilience here in the city,” said Charleston mayor John Tecklenburg. “This innovative project is a critical part of our anti-flooding work on John Island, and I want to thank the state for their generous support of this effort.”

Barberry Woods Project was identified as one of three critical drainage improvement projects for Johns Island in the 2021 Johns Island Restoration Plan to Improve Flood Resiliency, which was partially funded by a National Coastal Resiliency Fund grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

The Barberry Woods neighborhood and surrounding developments experience flooding of roadways, yards and structures during significant rainfall events due to undersized stormwater infrastructure that is unable to appropriately handle the runoff from the approximately 574-acre watershed.

This project will apply the principles of the Dutch Dialogues — conserving natural assets, respecting the existing elevations and improving the overall drainage of the area while providing community benefits and connectivity.

An open air stream weaving along a natural landscape will create a beautiful oasis for citizens to enjoy activities such as nature walks and birdwatching and — along with innovative ecological engineering — serve as a braided channel that slows, stores and releases floodwaters to help mitigate downstream flooding.

As part of the project, the city will purchase what is currently zoned as buildable land and incorporate the property into the natural drainage system.

View more project details and maps here: https://wkd.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapJournal/index.html?appid=45470b43bdab4548839b9e591219e5c4

In addition to the $4.6 million SCOR grant, the city has also acquired a $3 million low-interest loan from the South Carolina Office of Resiliency for project construction and received $100,000 in funding from the South Carolina Conservation Bank to help purchase land needed for the project.

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