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.
