Mount Pleasant Magazine March/April 2018

69 www.MountPleasantMagazine.com | www.MountPleasant.Pet | www.MountPleasantBuilders.com feature education and involvement; finding and eliminating sources of pollution; inspecting construction sites and the ponds created to capture harmful runoff; and making sure the town itself is adhering to water quality standards. “I’m particularly proud of the public involvement in Mount Pleasant,” said Charlie Hansen, the town’s NPDES (National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System) coordinator. “We have equipment available for anyone in the town to do a cleanup. We recently had a group pick up cigarette butts and Photo by Jess Wood. NPDES Coordinator Charlie Hansen uses a hand- held meter to test the quality of water that eventually will end up in Shem Creek. Visit us at: www.advhearing.com (843) 606-5658 BETTER HEARING CHANGES EVERYTHING 900 Johnnie Dodds Blvd. Ste. 101, Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464 | (843) 606-5658 | www.advhearing.com Dr. Kimberly Combs Dr. Juliette Gassert Audiologists Over 25 years of experience Find us on Facebook Voted Best Practice in Mount Pleasant! • Hearing Tests • Tinnitus Treatment • Hearing Aid Dispensing • Custom Ear Protection • Hearing Aid Repair • Ear Wax Removal YOUR HEARING CARE EXPERTS IN CHARLESTON, SC plastic, and a local church cleaned up Waterfront Park.” Hansen said Mount Pleasant’s Stormwater Division regularly inspects all the pipes that discharge runoff from rain into the marsh and Shem Creek, adding that the town hired a consultant last year to look at the water quality in the creek. Samples were taken at 10 locations, and the study found that dog feces were indeed an issue. “That’s probably from homeowners not picking up dog waste, and, when it rains, it washes into the creek,” said Hansen. “It’s a community effort. If we all help out a little and pick up our pet waste, we can help protect Shem Creek.” In addition, according to Hansen, the town has at least 38 manufactured treatment devices that collect debris that would have been carried by stormwater into the marshes and the creek. They are emptied of trash, dirt, sediment, leaves, grass and other unsavory items at least once a year. Another MTD is being built on Simmons Street as part of the drainage improvement project currently underway on Coleman Boulevard. The Stormwater Division also is