GSWSA Bull Creek Area Drainage Study

Grand Strand Water & Sewer Authority’s Bull Creek Surface Water Treatment Plant provides clean drinking water to much of Horry County. The site is advantageously positioned in Bucksport at the confluence of the Waccamaw and Great Pee Dee Rivers. While the ability to draw raw water from either of these two rivers offers GSWSA advantages in the production of quality potable water, the impacts of recent hurricanes on the region led to G3’s work with GSWSA to improve the flood resilience of the expansive facility and surrounding land application fields.

Following detailed field exploration and survey, G3 has been tasked to create a detailed stormwater model of the watershed. To do this, we are utilizing software with two-dimensional modeling capability. Unlike traditional one-dimensional models still in widespread use, two-dimensional models overlay various map layers such as land covers, soils, and elevations to simulate rainfall accumulation and flow from the moment it hits the ground. This removes many hydrologic and hydraulic assumptions and simplifications that would otherwise be made, and produces a significantly more flexible model that can accurately simulate the changing characteristics of watershed as it transitions from normal to inundation conditions.

Using the more detailed and accurate insights gleaned from our two-dimensional modelling efforts, G3 is working to develop effective, economical solutions to improve the flood resiliency of Grand Strand Water & Sewer Authority’s facility so that they can focus on what they do best – delivering safe drinking water to Horry County – even in the face of natural disaster.