A drone shot of the Pond 30 site after completion and landscape mitigation .
Decades of Sediment Cleared The Trumpet Creeper project is actually three phases of interrelated projects that work together to address flooding at three areas of Governors Drive . The first and most crucial phase was addressing the Trumpet Creeper inlet . Filled with decades of sediment , the inlet ’ s baseline level made it nearly impossible for the outflow pipes at that location to drain without significant pressure from upstream . Dredging the basin was a top priority , as it was the most critical element for success in this area , and this phase of the project has been completed . The newly dredged inlet optimized outflow , with positive effects further up the system as well .
While there is still a long way to go to accomplish the entire list of projects , the decision to start with the most widely beneficial seems to have paid off . Construction on task force projects is almost complete for 2020 , but work is still underway on planning , engineering , and permitting them . Projects will begin again in 2021 after the May PGA Championship , and KICA is on track to have all projects completed in late 2022 .
Community Costs When the membership approved the projects in May , they also approved a new , limited special assessment to pay for these new infrastructure projects . KICA has no budget for new infrastructure . The task force was deliberate with this
assessment ’ s language , ensuring that it had a limited time frame and went only toward designated projects . All payments for the assessment are allocated for flood mitigation . Work on both projects for 2020 came in under budget , resulting in a positive variance of close to $ 150,000 . ( To see a complete breakdown of 2020 costs , visit
https :// kica . us /).
An Ongoing Commitment The focus on Island water management doesn ’ t end with these projects ; rather , it is an ongoing commitment for the Island ’ s entities . KICA , with the support of the Town of Kiawah , established a task force in July 2020 to initiate the development of an Adaptive Management Plan ( AMP ) to assist Kiawah in addressing the impacts of sea-level rise , climate change , and flooding on the Island . This plan includes a structured process that identifies challenges , explores alternatives based on the current state of knowledge , implements management decisions , and carefully monitors the system to learn about the impacts of management decisions and adjust future actions . ( For a look at the general principles of Adaptive Management , visit
https :// www . doi . gov / sites / doi . gov / files / uploads / TechGuide-WebOptimized-2 . pdf ) In the case of sea-level rise and climate change impacts on Kiawah Island , the goals are to address the unacceptable effects on quality of life .
Chaired by KICA ’ s resilience specialist Lucas Hernandez , the task force organized focus groups , organized a community
30 Naturally Kiawah