EASLEY — Officials with Easley Combined Utilities have designed plans for a new waterline to run from Saluda Lake to their clear well in the old portion of town, but some residents in the area are opposed to the right-of-way requirements.

ECU will need 30 feet in permanent right of way and another 20 feet in temporary right of way in order to run the 36-inch line, according to Joel Ledbetter.

However, some property owners don’t want to give up that much of their property, which they say will keep them from having buildings or from planting anything with roots on a significant portion of their land.

“We’re not opposed to the line, but we don’t want it in our yard,” said Mike Beeco, who owns property on Saluda Dam Road, one of the areas where the line will run.

“I don’t see why they need that much room,” he said. “They’re wanting to take the most beautiful part of our property.

“They’re offering a ridiculous appraisal amount, and we’ll have to pay taxes on what we do receive,” Beeco added.

County Council member Tom Ponder said he had spoken with four residents so far and that it was his understanding that any trees already planted along the proposed right of way would be destroyed.

“They said they’ll be taking out big trees that have been there a long time and will be disrupting the community,” he said.

Ledbetter confirmed that no trees would be allowed in the permanent right of way, but if property owners had any important ones in the temporary right of way, the company would work with them to avoid removal of those plants.

“We’re going to do the best we can to work with them to keep those trees there,” he said. “We don’t want to tear things up indiscriminately.”

Ponder, who represents the area where the line will be placed, also said some of the property owners told him they were being threatened with having the right of ways taken by imminent domain if they did not give them up willingly.

“It doesn’t sound to me like Combined is handling it real well,” he said.

Ledbetter said they will have to get right of ways from about 95 owners and that so far they’ve gotten between 30 and 40.

The project is planned to be completed in three phases, with about 12,000 feet being laid down each time, for a total of 36,000 feet.

Ledbetter said the company is planning for the new line in order “to lay the groundwork for the future.”

Currently, there is a 30-inch line running in the area, but Ledbetter said it was about 40 years old.

“We’re a little bit concerned about it,” he said. “Right now, there’s no problems with it, but we don’t want it to get to where we can’t provide water to our customers.”

Ledbetter also said the line will give the company additional capacity in the future.

But he said he doesn’t have a timeframe yet for starting the project.

“We’ve got to get the money first,” he said.

The project will cost between $9.5 million and $10 million.

Ledbetter said ECU has applied for state revolving loans, and they hope to get some stimulus funds to help pay for the new line.

But Beeco said he thinks officials with the utility company rushed the project in order to apply for the federal funds.

He also said he owns a historic building along Saluda Dam road that ECU wants to tear down to make way for the water line.

George’s Creek Grange Hall was built in 1931 and was a place where farmers in the area used to meet.

“I have an application pending to place it on the National Registry,” Beeco said.

He and some of the 50 residents who signed a petition against the new water line are also concerned that the temporary right of ways will be tied up for eight to 10 years.

Robert Childress, who owns property on Olive Street, said the third phase of the project will be done there, and he is concerned about how long he would not be able to use the property.

“We can’t use it or doing anything with it until they sign off,” he said.

Childress also said he didn’t think ECU needed that much right of way to put in the water line.

Ledbetter said that the company will retain the temporary right of ways from time of acquisition until time of completion.

He said it will take from nine months to a year to complete each phase but that the company will not do anything to the temporary right of ways until they actually start each phase.

“We will leave it as is until we get started,” he said.