Proposed Walmart will upend infrastructure
Thankfully, I was not in Columbia for the apparently torrential downpour that struck the city Saturday night, lasting into the following Sunday morning. The storm shut down numerous streets on campus and caused costly property damage.
Columbia is, of course, no stranger to heavy storms. We all remember last summer when a storm flooded the Lofts at USC, sweeping cars away and damaging students apartments. The main problem the city faces with these storms is the lack of natural drainage that is essential to preventing flooding.
The only natural drainage system in Columbia is the Rocky Branch Creek, near the old baseball stadium — right smack dab where a proposed Walmart will stand.
The last time members of the Columbia City Council debated the issue, they decided it would be wise to commission a study to research the effects major construction would have on the waterway. The study is due to be completed in the coming weeks; however, it may take more time to analyze the results. This problem should be of very high concern for city officials; the flooding last weekend should be a clear reminder to all of us of the precarious situation our city is in when it comes to severe weather and its effects. If the study does find that the construction of a Walmart near the Rocky Branch Creek increases the likelihood of severe flooding and more damage to city, university and student property, then the idea should be dropped immediately.
There are a couple of questions and possible problems that the council has yet to address, a few of which I am sure many students could guess without hesitation.
As any student knows, the train system in Columbia is not conducive to the construction of a Walmart on South Assembly Street. Let us all just take a minute to try and imagine a normal day on South Assembly: students running late for class as they try to make their way from off-campus housing, or trains blocking key intersections and high-volume lanes. Add to that mix crazy Walmart traffic with customers fighting each other to get in or out of the superstore. It would be absurd.
And don’t even think about what a Carolina–Clemson Saturday would look like; it would be a nightmare.
I understand that the construction of this Walmart would make it incredibly convenient for students to shop for groceries, but before anyone makes any hasty decisions the council must explore any and all consequences that might affect the functionality of the city’s infrastructure. We have to demand that something be done about the possible drainage issues as well as the traffic concerns before we end up comfortably agreeing to a Walmart that — while convenient in the short term — can only add to a long list of problems plaguing the city in the long term.