ABBEVILLE, S.C. — A circuit judge has not yet ruled on the City of Abbeville’s request for larger monthly payments and possible sanctions against the Town of Calhoun Falls in their long-running fight over unpaid water bills.
Circuit Court Judge Frank Addy heard the matter Monday and took it under advisement while Abbeville reviews financial records the town turned in just before the hearing, on Friday and Sunday.
In a Sept. 28 court filing, Abbeville said Calhoun Falls had provided partial information in only two of 10 required reporting categories set out in a March court order. The missing items include weekly water and sewer revenue and expense reports, payment calculations and monthly water meter reports.
The city asked the court for an additional $15,000 monthly payment toward the old water debt, on top of current charges, and a $10,000 monthly sanction for any future missed reports. That sanction money would cover Abbeville’s legal and enforcement costs rather than the debt.
Abbeville City Manager Blake Stone said Calhoun Falls owed the city about $532,000 as of Monday. The town is slightly ahead on bills issued since an April 2025 injunction, thanks largely to two lump-sum payments totaling $150,000 in June and July, but late penalties on the older balance keep growing.
The case, No. 2025CP0100036, sits in the Abbeville County Court of Common Pleas. At an earlier hearing, figures showed the town owed more than $600,000 under its long-term water contract with Abbeville, and Addy noted that the court has authority under the contract and the South Carolina Revenue Bond Act for Utilities to enforce adequate rates or appoint a receiver. The shared water system also serves McCormick County residents, and the town told the court then that 155 meters were being read and entered by hand.
Town attorney Juankell Shingles acknowledged Calhoun Falls fell behind on the reports, blaming duties that were not passed along after changes in town administration earlier this year, and said most have now been filed.
Stone said a third-party receivership for the town’s water and sewer system would be Abbeville’s preferred outcome, though both sides remain open to a negotiated deal and Abbeville plans to seek another meeting this week. Separately, a supplemental state budget bill signed Sept. 1 sets aside $150,000 for Calhoun Falls water meter replacements. No new court date has been set.
