Charleston’s Concord Street Pump Station has completed a $10 million upgrade, boosting its capacity to handle stormwater and reduce flooding risks in the city’s flood-prone East Side.
Project Scope
The facility, built in 2000 near the South Carolina Aquarium, serves 240 acres via a 30-foot-wide drainage pipe dropping 130 feet underground. Recent work upgraded pumps from 120,000 to 140,000 gallons per minute, added new electrical/mechanical systems, a roof, insulation, and structural fixes while keeping it operational. City officials phased construction over two years, avoiding hurricane season.​
Flood Mitigation Impact
It targets areas like Calhoun and East Bay streets, once tidal creeks that flooded waist-deep in storms; a Market Street tunnel extension helped a decade ago but increased demand. Director Matthew Fountain likened maintenance to “changing oil while driving,” stressing prevention to avoid catastrophic failures cheaper than post-flood repairs. This fits broader city efforts in West Ashley, Johns Island, and upcoming Market Street phases with curb inlets.
