Blog

Upcoming Meetings:

Monday, September 23, 2024 – Regular
Monday, October 28, 2024 – Regular

The above meetings are open to the public. Citizens may continue to submit written public comments via email to jipsdinfo@jipsd.org or by mail to JIPSD Commission, PO Box 12140, Charleston, SC 29422-2140. Comments will be distributed to the Commission.

Our offices will be closed on Monday, September 2, 2024, in observance of Labor Day. During the holiday week, garbage and trash collection will occur one day later than your regular collection day. If you have a Wastewater emergency, please call 843.795.2345.

Pursuant to Section 6-1-80 of the S.C. Code of Laws, public notice is hereby given that the James Island Public Service District Commission will hold a public hearing on Monday, July 22, 2024, at 6:30 p.m. at James Island Fire Station 1 located at 1108 Folly Road Charleston, SC 29412. The Regular Commission meeting will follow. The District desires to increase the compensation of certain general fund employees in order to: (i) remain competitive in the labor market, (ii) fill existing vacancies, and (iii) enhance retention of current employees. While this increase was originally included in the Fiscal Year 2025 budget as an appropriation of fund balance reserves, the Commission has determined to levy additional millage to fund such increase in lieu of using fund balance. This amendment to the Fiscal Year 2025 budget will raise the General Fund tax revenue by increasing the District’s operating millage from 61.7 mills to 63.7 mills.

	General Fund	Debt Service Fund	Proprietary Fund	Operating Millage
Original	$10,184,000	$881,380	$11,434,100	61.7
Additional Revenue	$245,400	$0	$0	2.0
Amended Revenue	$10,429,400	$881,380	$11,434,100	63.7

Our offices will be closed Wednesday, June 19, 2024, in observance of Juneteenth National Independence Day. During the holiday week, garbage and trash collection will occur one day later than your regular collection day. If you have a Wastewater emergency, please call 843.795.2345.

The James Island Public Service District will be closed on Monday, May 27, 2024, in observance of Memorial Day. During the holiday week, garbage and trash collection will occur one day later than your regular collection day. If you have a Wastewater emergency, please call 843.795.2345.

The James Island Public Service District will be closed on Monday, February 19, 2024, in observance of Presidents’ Day. During the holiday week, garbage and trash collection will occur one day later than your regular collection day. If you have a Wastewater emergency, please call 843.795.2345.

Overview – The James Island Public Service District  is committed to improving the water quality in James Island Creek. SCDHEC (South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control) has designated James Island Creek as an “impaired waterway.” The James Island Creek TMDL was completed in November, 2019. The three local governments responsible for stormwater management in the James Island Creek Watershed, the Town of James Island, Charleston County, and the City of Charleston, are mandated to monitor bacteria levels in the creek and develop an action plan during the next five years. This mandate is directly from SCDHEC, but indirectly from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Failure to comply can result in multi-million dollar fines for local governments. Creation of a memorandum of agreement (MOA) for a joint response began early on and was signed in December 2020. The County has hired a consultant, Wolpert Engineering to provide monitoring. They will test the water each month and an additional four times each year after heavy rains. Also, they will use microbial source testing four times each year to identify the waste–human, pet, or wildlife. The Town, City, and County pay for this testing in proportion to our area of jurisdiction in the watershed, roughly 58% City, 34% Town, and 8% County.

In February 2020, the local governments formed the James Island Creek Water Quality Task Force. The body includes elected officials from the Town, City, and County, key staff members from those local governments, as well as elected officials and staff members from the James Island Public Service District and the Charleston Water System. State elected officials are represented. Also, representatives from conservation groups such as Waterkeeper and Coastal Conservation League are included. The Chairman is Mayor John Tecklenburg of the City and Mayor Woolsey of the Town serves as vice Chair.

The Education and Citizen Outreach Committee, chaired by Waterkeeper Andrew Wunderley, will share information to residents about how they can help clean our creek and about what the task force and local governments are doing on their behalf. The Town, County and City all contribute stormwater utility monies paid by our residents to help fund the Ashley Cooper Education Consortium. Operated by Clemson University’s Extension Service, the consortium provides a wealth of information about managing stormwater and protecting our marshes and creeks.

The Policy Committee, chaired by Charleston City Councilman Ross Appel, initiated a Watershed Plan which was provided at no cost by Terracon All James Islanders owe this public-spirited engineering firm a hearty thanks for helping clean our creek. The James Island Creek Watershed Plan was completed in May 2021. It has been approved by SCDHEC and will go to the full task force for a recommendation for adoption by the Town, City, and County Councils. Also Charleston Water System funded molecular source testing for the first time this spring (March and May of 2021.) Working with Charleston Waterkeeper, their limited sampling revealed that the human DNA concentration was by far greater than the other source types analyzed. While the test results are by no means conclusive, they do indicate that human waste is indeed a factor and contributor to the pollution in the James Island Creek.

More information, including community meeting dates, will be provided on this page as the project gets underway.

Additional Information:
Letter to Residents
$1.369 billion in ARPA Funding Awarded
JIPSD Wastewater Collection System Use and Rate Resolution

Town of James Island Information:
Clean James Island Creek

Save with Autopay

• Never miss another payment
•  Avoid late fees, non-payment fees, and/or reconnection fees
•  Save time and money on postage
•  Environmentally friendly
•  Available for both e-check and credit card

Ask a Customer Service Representative how to enroll today by calling 843.795.9060 OR enroll online using the following instructions:

AutoPay Set Up Instructions:

Log in to your JIPSD online account at www.jipsd.org.

First-time users will need to register their account. They will need their name exactly how it reads on the billing statement and their account number.

1.  Once on the JIPSD website, select “View or Pay Bills Online”, then click “My Profile” at the top of the screen. Click on “Payment Methods” and enter either the Credit / Debit Card information or the bank information that will be used for AutoPay.
2. Go back to “My Profiles” and click on “AutoPay” to initiate the process.

Your account will be drafted monthly, one day prior to the due date printed on the billing statement.

***Once auto draft has been set up, please be sure to verify the first payment was drafted correctly and then disable paper billing***

UNUSUALLY HIGHER SEWER BILL CONSIDERATIONS

JIPSD bills for sewer after the water has been consumed so consider the following information and have a calendar handy to review your dates. Your bill includes important information to help you determine your usage and when it increased. Look for the following information: Gallons (ccfs) used and the number of days in this time frame.

THESE ITEMS CAN INCREASE YOUR WATER USAGE AND AFFECT YOUR BILL:

• Is your irrigation system tied into your residential line?
• Did you increase the amount of time you watered your lawn or garden?
• Have you filled a pool?
• Are your irrigation system timer settings too long or too often?
• Have you had any work done in the home or on your property?
• Have you had any work done on your irrigation system?
• Have you watered any new sod or landscaping?
• Have you had any visitors for a period of time?
• Have you power-washed the home or driveway?
• Have you replaced hot water heaters?
• Do you have an inflatable pool or hot tub?

Typically, if your readings return to more normal on your next bill it is likely that it was one of these reasons or another simple explanation that caused the increase and not a leak.

If you think it remains high, you may have a leak and should contact a plumber to investigate. Meters are imported monthly from Charleston Water System meter reads and neither can tell you the exact day and time that high usage occurs within any given cycle.