Home Care In Eastover, SC

After months of construction and repairs, Eastover's water is finally safe to drink again.

EASTOVER, S.C. — A bit of relief for many in Eastover after months of concerns over their water quality.

Bruce Edwards, a resident of Eastover, describes the headache he faced when the town was having water issues in late 2022

"They were handing out flyers saying boil the water because something was wrong with the system, low pressure, sometimes the water was off, " he said.

According to Eastover Mayor Philip Gunter, during the colder months, the town saw around 20 different leaks on water mains in the town

"The system was kinda dirty, so we had to a lot of hydrant flushing, " said the mayor.

Those issues got SCDHEC attention.

An enforcement order from December claims a team from DHEC rated the town 'unsatisfactory' for drinking water and said it 'needed improvement' in areas such as protection from contamination and source quality.

Gunter says it's been a team effort trying to improve those scores.

In a Thursday DHEC board meeting, members touted a recent EPA survey that gave the agency good marks for South Carolina's water quality.

Gunter says the town's water quality is back to DHEC's standards.

"They did their job, they wanted us to do our job as well and let it be known that it's serious out there." He says, "The water is pretty good right now, we've had a lot of success with the water."

Gunter adds crews have been working hard since the winter to get back on track.

"Making sure the line pumps and different things like that are working properly. During the winter storm things like that burst and got destroyed, some parts got broken, pipes got broken, all inside the well. I can say we're about 90%, we still got some really small things that we got to work on that's going to take some outside help to come in," said the mayor.

Edwards admits he is still a bit weary of the tap water, but for Mayor Gunter, consuming the town's tap water is something he does daily.

"I trust the water, I drink the water."

After a crash Saturday, night residents continue to see discolored water.

COLUMBIA, S.C. — We’re on your side tonight with details on a water issue in the Town of Eastover. Residents contacted News 19 about discolored water two days after the town restored water service after a brief outage.

“This is the water out of the faucet when you’re trying to cook. Yet they’re telling us in Eastover that the water is good," Eastover resident Jennifer White said in a video of water from her faucet on Sunday. "It’s not gonna get clean."

White said this problem continued into Monday with murky brown water running from her faucet.

“This morning no, same thing," White said. "So, I’ve been going, my friend allowed me to go down to her house in Hickory Hill and get some of that well water. That’s what we’ve been washing and cooking with."

According to the Eastover Mayor Phillip Gunter, a car crash on Saturday started the problem.

“Because we got that small pressurized system right now ... someone hit a fire hydrant and caused the whole town to lose water,” Gunter said.

That crash was worse than it would have been in normal circumstances because Gunter said the town is in the process of making repairs to its large main water tower.

That means, for now, they’re on a smaller alternate system.

“The town had to go to a temporary tank," Gunter said. "So, it’s basically a smaller tank operating the town’s water right now.”

While water service was restored quickly, the smaller system doesn’t have as much power to clear debris and dirt from all the water lines. The larger system has more power.

As a result some residents still have brown water.

The mayor said the city is testing the water to ensure its safety and people are urged to boil their water before drinking or using it for cooking until further notice.

The mayor added this water clearout could take anywhere between two days and a week and a half.

EASTOVER, S.C. – Over many years, the South Carolina National Guard has developed the McCrady Training Center in Eastover, South Carolina into the training site it is today.

Retired U.S. Army Col. Frank Chapman, former McCrady Training Center training site manager, explained, what first started as a 283-acre property used for annual training and drill weekends, and was originally called the Leesburg Training Center, slowly became the 15,000-acre training site known today as McCrady Training Center.

“In May 1977, I began working on the training center,” said Chapman. “There was not much on the training site, so we made deals with Fort Jackson and obtained old buildings Fort Jackson was going to tear down. We didn't have much of a budget, so we had to find ways to make things happen.”

At the time, with a budget of $3,000 a year for development, Chapman said they had to be a little creative. They would move a building at the end of a fiscal year, then another in the beginning of the next fiscal year. One of the buildings the staff was able to get from Fort Jackson was the training site’s chapel.

“They were going to tear it down. With some clever planning we moved it here,” said Chapman. “[South Carolina National Guard] units then donated the stained glass windows that decorate the walls.”

This chapel provided a location for service members to conduct religious services during training and remains at McCrady today.

Chapman added, “Maj. Gen. Marchant came to me one day telling me that the National Guard Bureau was going to give us money if we built a school on grounds. This agreement got us the additional 14,000-acres to work with.”

This was also the catalyst for implementing the 218th Regional Training Institute, which provides training to U.S. Army National Guard, U.S. Army Reserve, and active duty Soldiers. Today, the training includes military occupational specialty reclassification courses for engineer and signal, officer and warrant officer commissioning schools, non-commissioned officer professional military education, instructor training, and pre-command course for company and battalion-level leadership. Currently, there is also a U.S. Marine Corps Forces Reserve unit on site, the U.S. Navy Reserve conducts Navy Individual Augmentee Combat Training at McCrady Training Center, and a USO is on site to provide morale, welfare, and recreation needs for service members.

In order to conduct some of the developmental projects early on for McCrady, the South Carolina National Guard would use internal resources that would support the growth of the training site, as well as hone skills for Soldiers.

“In the ‘80’s we were able to use the equipment from the 122nd Engineer Battalion because we were in good with the commander at the time, which happened to be me.” joked Chapman.

The equipment could stay at McCrady during the week to be used by the full-time staff and then on the weekends be used by the engineer Soldiers who used their skills to continue the development of the training site.

Retired U.S. Army Master Sgt. Curtis Hallman Jr., current McCrady Training Center maintenance manager, originally came on staff at McCrady in 1984-1985 as a carpenter, while serving in the South Carolina National Guard. Throughout his career serving at the McCrady Training Center, he has assisted with many of the projects, including the movement of the buildings from Fort Jackson and creating the pond surrounded by cabins on the training site. He has seen the site grow from the original 283-acre site to what it is today and does not believe it has reached its full potential.

“We are still growing,” he added.

As the needs of the South Carolina National Guard, the National Guard Bureau, and the Department of Defense continue to adapt, there are hopes that the McCrady Training Center will continue to grow to meet the demands and remain a relevant training site for service members.

The money comes as part of the American Rescue Plan Act supporting communities around the nation following the pandemic.

RICHLAND COUNTY, S.C. — More than $300,000 will go to the Town of Eastover as part of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) supporting communities around the country.

Over the last few months, News19 has spotlighted how cities and towns are using their share of millions distributed around the country as part of the Act.

Like many communities, Mayor Phillip Gunter said Eastover has received half of its funds. The town is expecting roughly $330,000 in total.

"It means a lot for the town," Mayor Gunter said. "We really need it to uplift our water system for safer water for the community... also to help out with some of our infrastructure."

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He says they've already started spending the money on water and sewer projects, including improvements to the town's water tower, but there's still a lot more to do to revitalize the rural community, which has fewer than 1,000 residents.

"We had everything when I was a little boy, you know?," Mayor Gunter said. "The video store, the bank was there then, the little grocery store we had.... So, I just want to see those things come back to Eastover."

They're petitioning the state for additional dollars to continue making improvements with a focus on downtown developments.

"We need that grocery store; we need a laundry mat," Gunter said. "So, those are the kind of things that I'm really trying to concentrate on.... Painting of buildings and those kinds of things."

RELATED: DHEC to study disaster response in Columbia's Lower Richland community

Mildred McMillian spent her life in Eastover and says she's excited for the opportunity to see the community improve.

"Just helping the town out, so it can be just like some of the other places around here... that this town become a little more beautified than it is," McMillian said. "It's just like a family over the whole town. Everybody getting along together....They're trying to do the best they can in this town."

The mayor says he's also working with Richland County to try to bring a new sheriff's department substation, strengthening available services for residents.

Digital communications have already sifted away demand for printer and copier paper over the last couple decades. Coronavirus shuttering offices accelerated that trend.

For that reason, International Paper is slicing so-called free sheet paper production from its balance sheets in the second half of 2021, including the company’s Eastover Paper Mill near Columbia.

Eastover and several other mills will fall under a new spinoff company that will be run by International Paper’s senior vice president of industrial packaging. But beyond a boost for stockholders, major changes are unlikely at legacy paper giant’s largest mill.

International Paper will transfer shares of the new company to its stockholders and will retain its own ownership shares in the new, free-standing company, which it estimates will have $4 billion in annual sales.

The company said it is not planning any operational changes for the nearly 40-year-old mill that employs 700 workers in Richland County.

The company’s other South Carolina mill in Georgetown, which produces more specialized products, including the paper sticks used in cotton swabs and the paper backing to adhesive labels, will remain under the International Paper banner.

CEO Mark Sutton said on an investor call this month that turning the printing papers segment into a standalone company would create more value by keeping the company focused on cardboard and fluff pulp, the absorbent material used in diapers and other goods.

But the move had analysts speculating about the future of what International Paper calls SpinCo, the copy paper spinoff, with several saying the move makes it a more likely acquisition target. Mark Wilde, an analyst with Bank of Montreal, said he doesn’t know what will ultimately happen to SpinCo.

“But the Eastover Mill itself will probably be running for quite a while,” he said, even if it changes hands. That’s because the facility is International Paper’s largest and most cost-effective.

The pandemic has brought on declines up to 30 percent in the printing and writing paper segment. Before that competition was already heavy between manufacturers, said Patricia Marques, a paper industry consultant with Fisher International who also spent 15 years working for International Paper.

“Companies are playing the last man standing strategy,” Marques said. “The ones that survive are the ones that have very low cost.”

By Sutton’s estimates, Eastover is one of the top three free sheet mills in North America.

“Eastover is probably going to be one of the very last mills to make white paper,” Wilde said, estimating it will still be producing a decade from now, whether that’s for SpinCo or another owner.

In the United States, International Paper’s Georgetown, Selma, Ala., and Ticonderoga, N.Y., sites make similar products. Abroad, there are three more in Brazil and one each in France, Poland and Russia.

Georgetown County Economic Development Director Brian Tucker said, based on his conversations with International Paper, he expects the mill to operate well into the future. With about 750 employees, the mill is Georgetown County’s largest employer.

One analyst’s thoughts about the Georgetown mill are that it’s a bit more up in the air.

That’s because the bulk of production at Georgetown is in fluff pulp and it is possible International Paper could choose to exit that business, Wilde said. The company has struggled to make its large investment in the sector profitable despite a number of initiatives to improve performance.

All of the major paper companies — International Paper, Domtar and Packaging Corporation of America — are facing the same decline issues and are making similar decisions when it comes to adapting for the future. Most are turning to cardboard boxes used by e-retailers, like Amazon, an industry sector that the pandemic has sent booming.

Packaging Corp. has converted mills in Jackson, Ala., and Pensacola, Fla. to cardboard box production.

Domtar has opted to either close mills, like its million-ton Portland, Ala., operation, or convert mills, like its Bennettsville operation, to fluff pulp or container board.

Georgia Pacific, once the fourth-largest paper company, shuttered all of its paper operations in 2019.

“White paper is a shrinking market and over time there’s going to be more consolidation and more mill closures or conversions,” Wilde said.

And the pandemic is forcing decisions now rather than companies holding out a few more years.

“I think most companies assume, even as we get a vaccine, they’re probably not going to recover all the volume they’ve lost,” Wilde said. “That’s because, even when we go back to work, our habits probably changed quite a bit.”

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