Scrap Yard Lawsuit Settled

After more than two years of litigation and negotiation, we’re happy to announce that we have reached a settlement in the zoning appeal we brought over the proposed scrap yard near Gills Creek. We were able to work with the Gills Creek Watershed Association, South Carolina Environmental Law Project, and City of Columbia to come to this resolution that helps protect Gills Creek and the surrounding community. Through our efforts we helped stop an illegal scrap yard from operating, required the new property owner to take measures to protect the environment, and sent a message to the Board of Zoning Appeals and other local decision makers that they must be thoughtful, thorough and follow the letter of the law when reviewing these types of projects.

As part of this settlement the property owner will be required to:

• Conduct an environmental assessment of the property and undertake remediation measures identified as a result,
• Construct a stormwater detention pond,
• Plant and maintain a vegetated buffer along the creek,
• Comply with the conditions of the City Engineer's Floodplain Management Report, and
• Meet all applicable standards and requirements of DHEC's Industrial Stormwater General NPDES Permit.

You can read more in this article from the Post and Courier:

Part of legal fight over Columbia scrap yard ends, owner accepts environmental protections

And you can view the settlement agreement below.