Bluffton, S.C.’s Office of Coastal Resource Management said last week that it will add another compliance officer to monitor storm water runoff and sediment control in Beaufort and Jasper counties.

The new officer would be charged with overseeing the area's numerous construction sites and monitoring their effect on waterways.

Joe Fersner, manager of engineering and state certifications with OCRM, told members of the Bluffton Watershed Advisory Committee that having another enforcement officer will help avoid incidents like those at two Bluffton developments in recent months.

The town halted work on Bluffton Park in February after finding that sediment runoff was reaching the May River, and a contractor for the Calhoun Street Promenade was fined for pumping groundwater onto the street.

Source: BNH