PCBs found in Columbia-area sewers
Carcinogenic chemicals have been found in a Columbia-area restaurant’s sewers, The State reported.
The revelation comes out of a state investigation of illegal chemical dumping in the Midlands and the Upstate.
Now, the concern is whether PCBs found their way into rivers from wastewater treatment plants or onto farmland and landfills from contaminated sludge.
PCBs have recently been found in multiple Upstate wastewater treatment plants, which release into rivers. If humans are exposed to significant levels of PCBs, often through eating contaminated fish, they can cause cancer.
While state regulators said there is no evidence of PCB contamination in rivers or of unsafe drinking water, they are investigating reports of contaminated material being illegally dumped into manholes and restaurant grease traps.
“Whoever is doing this has got to be an idiot,” said Larry Brazell, director of the East Richland Public Service District.
Identity theft division added to state agency
An identity theft division will be added to the South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs next week, The State reported.
The division will have four members and will educate people in South Carolina about how to prevent identity theft and what to do if it happens.
It will be charged with enforcing state identity theft laws, according to Consumer Affairs attorney Marti Phillips, who will head up the unit.
The division is part of a proposal after the identities of 6.4 million South Carolina businesses’ and taxpayers’ information were stolen last year from the Department of Revenue. The theft was the largest state agency breach in U.S history.
The proposal has passed the state Senate but awaits approval by the state House of Representatives when it returns to session in January.
The division will employ 38 people and has a $233,000 budget.
Georgetown to rebuild after destructive fire
After an early morning fire ripped through Georgetown Wednesday, Gov. Nikki Haley pledged her support to rebuild the seven historic buildings destroyed, The (Myrtle Beach) Sun News reported.
Haley joined Georgetown City Councilwoman and business owner Jeanette Ard at a Thursday morning press conference, as investigators from the State Law Enforcement Division, Georgetown police and fire departments and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the cause of the fire.
It is unclear how long it will take to determine what caused the blaze. It was first reported shortly before 5:30 a.m. Wednesday but spread quickly before fire crews could contain it.
The fire was deemed under control by 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, but smoke continued to rise from the wreckage Thursday.
About 130 employees of 10 businesses were impacted by the fire. Many business owners who lived above shops and other tenants were also affected.