Group explores brick arches

A crew from the City of Charleston’s Storm Water Service Department prepares to remove a manhole cover from above a portion of the city’s historic brick arches, April 15, 2026. The city built the system in the 1800s to remove wastewater after a severe yellow fever epidemic. Now, the structures help move stormwater away from the city; however, the nearly 200-year-old system is aging. Staff from the city and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Charleston District inspected the structures to prepare for a rehabilitation project. (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers photo by Tom Conning)