Friday, September 28, 2007

Clyburn Gets $80M For Water Projects - Sort Of. Here's How to Use It.



I saw the Press Release about the $80 Million going coming to South Carolina for various water projects. A closer look shows that not all of it is for the 6th District. It's a common trick Congress does , especially when major cities ar gerrymandered.

Of that $80M, $20 Million of it goes toward Charleston. Of that amount $4M is for City of Chucktown sewer projects, so that may used in the 6th District, but it could be 1st District as well. Another $16M goes towards repairs on the Ashley River, of which not a foot of is in the 6th District. Don't be suprised to see Henry Brown take credit for the same project, which he should. It's kinda like saying that your next door neighbor hit the lottery, but you want some of it too.

The other $60M is going towards the Lake Marion Regional Water Authority Project. I guess this means the guys at the Army Corps of Engineers can get back to work now - unless they use all the money again. A bigger question is how they plan to build the project. The authority wants to build a big circle, like a big bypass loop. I'm not a big fan of that project...

As we all know, a bypass is not the most efficient type of road - just drive an extra 25 miles to avoid the traffic. Well, we're not talking about traffic, we're talking about the movement of water. This loop would go over 30 miles outside of the lake, so my guess is that there's gonna be a lot of waste. The project is already estimated at over $150 Million, so one would think that keeping the budget down would be a premium. I forgot, we're talking politicians here.

The most economical way is to go straight down I-95 from Clarendon County to Walterboro, then to fork off to the major areas needed from there. Up 521 to Sumter and Manning, and 301 towards Orangeburg would be logical. If there's money left over, then go from there. However, 200 miles of sewer and water because a few small communities don't have water that tastes like Evian is wasteful. Besides, Evian tastes like fartwater!

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4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I hope we get some of this money at Davis Station

Thoroughbred 401k said...

Doubtful - wrong side of the Lake. Jim's looking to go to Orangeburg and Sumter. How is the water in Davis Station , Moye?

Anonymous said...

water so low you cannot put your boat in but taste good.

Thoroughbred 401k said...

Jim's always complaining about the water being all crappy and brown.....More misinformation from our distinguished gentleman? Makes you wonder what kind of kickback he's getting..