If there is any doubt no two stormwater managers’ jobs are alike, consider the responsibilities of Tom Garigen, stormwater manager for Horry County, SC. “Horry County has been challenged by three major weather events in the past four years, setting new records with each event,” says Garigen.
In 2015, Hurricane Joaquin veered off its predicted course, lingering off the South Carolina coast from Friday, October 2, through Sunday, October 4, dumping over 20 inches of rain. The county’s Emergency Operation Center (EOC) was not staffed until Saturday when the storm’s full impact became apparent. In October 2016, Hurricane Matthew hit Horry County and southeast North Carolina with up to 15 inches of rain on top of already saturated soils, leading to major flooding and wind damage. Hurricane Florence set new flood records in North Carolina and, in Horry County, brought between 15 to 30 inches of rain between September 13 and 17, 2018. Garigen says South Carolina’s low and flat topography results in prolonged flooding. “We say you have one storm but two floods,” he says. “We have the immediate flash flooding caused by intense rainfall receding after a day or two, but then the rivers slowly react to all the water that fell.” During Florence, the rivers did not crest until September 26, two weeks after the start of the rainfall. During that period, “we were in constant communication with the local weather service office, the NOAA River Forecast Centers, and various state agencies trying to come up with reasonable flood elevation predictions on the Waccamaw River and the Pee Dee River,” says Garigen. Local officials tried to determine the most reasonable predictions based on the different models’ various results. At the EOC, Garigen’s knowledge of riverine modeling and local conditions, combined with GIS skills, helped to produce maps showing potential inundation areas and to plan evacuations, road closures, and flood protection measures. He advises stormwater managers dealing with similar events to have the “best possible computer” with which to do high-level GIS work and to have all essential data on a portable hard drive because the in-house network might be very slow. “Have correct conversion factors for the river gauge readings to the correct datum for your topographic system,” says Garigen, adding that some people confuse the difference between an arbitrary river gage and an actual elevation. “You will be under a lot of stress. Take care of yourself. Take breaks whenever needed.”
What He Does Day to Day
Garigen manages the 32-member stormwater department’s daily operations with an annual $7 million budget. “There are always personnel, financial, and citizen issues to deal with,” he says. “We have a broad program of drainage system maintenance and improvements, water-quality and NPDES permit tasks, new development plan reviews and inspections, and a beaver control and mosquito control program.”
What Led Him to This Line of Work
Garigen has been involved in civil engineering since his high school graduation in Rochester, NY, and continuing after he earned an associate’s degree in construction technology in 1980. After working for various Boston, MA, firms, Garigen moved to South Carolina in 1989, starting with the Horry County government in 1994 as a civil engineering technician. The county’s stormwater department was created along with a stormwater utility in 2000 following major flooding from Hurricane Floyd in 1999. In 2004, he began managing the program. “My goal continues to be to create the best stormwater management program in South Carolina,” he says.
What He Likes Best About His Work
“I can really make a difference to improve the lives of our citizens by properly managing stormwater,” says Garigen.
