Haley working on solutions to Tega Cay sewage leaks

TEGA CAY, S.C. — A group of Tega Cay residents, fed up with sewer leaks into Lake Wylie, sent some of their members straight to the South Carolina governor Thursday for help.

Linda Stevenson lives in Tega Cay, right on Lake Wylie. She said it is a beautiful place, but that it has a bad issue.

"No one wants to know that sewage is going into their lake," said Stevenson, a member of the Tega Cay Water Citizens Advisory Council.

That is why she said she went to a Lion's Club event in Lake Wylie where the governor was speaking, so she could express concern to Gov. Nikki Haley in person.

"Our issue is very near and dear to our hearts. This is my drinking water, this is my recreation water, this is where the value of my home is," Stevenson said.

"We've got a lot of lawyers working on this," Haley told Stevenson.

Haley said her office is working with a team of attorneys and the State Department of Health and Environmental Control on possible solutions. Thursday, she said it was too soon to suggest what the state could do to help.

"That's what we're trying to determine exactly who has the control and who can say what can be done," Haley said. "I think we will know something soon but there are a lot of conversations going on right now and we do want to find a solution for the people in Tega Cay."

Utilities Inc. is the company that provides water and sewer to Stevenson and many of her neighbors. It told Eyewitness News that it is working with the State of South Carolina and it sent Channel 9 a letter its CEO sent to the Haley.

In that letter, the company said it wants to fix the problem as well and that it has "spent in excess of two million dollars in just the last two years in Tega Cay, and we plan to spend more."

Stevenson said more has to be done. She said her group will continue to push for change. For now, she is hopeful about Haley's word.

"We'll do the best we can," Haley told Stevenson.

"I certainly hope so," said Stevenson.

The company also said in that letter to the Haley that it is has made several upgrades and that it is using new technology to find potential blockages. It says completely replacing the system would be almost impossible and cost-prohibitive.

WSOC