Cayce drainage project blasting caused damage, hurt property value, lawsuit says
A Cayce property owner is suing the city over disruption caused by blasting for the Cayce Avenues drainage project. He claims the work done caused expensive property damage and emotional distress.
Mark Burt, a resident of Lexington and the owner of a Cayce property on Deliesseline Road. It is located in a residential neighborhood the lawsuit describes as “consisting of well-maintained and valuable homes,” known for its “stability, desirability, and cohesive community of neighboring property owners.”
According to the lawsuit, Cayce began an infrastructure project immediately in front the property, and between October 2025 and December 2025, used explosives, like dynamite, for blasting in the area. Burt did not consent to blasting activities near his home and raised concerns regarding potential damage, the lawsuit said, but was assured the work would be controlled and safeguarded.
Burt was assured that any damages would be rectified and repaired.
But the city failed to adequately notify the community about the extent of the blasting and failed to implement safeguards to protect the residence, according to the lawsuit. The defendants also allegedly altered infrastructure — pipes and related systems — that contradicted the original plans that were shared with the public.
The State has reached out to a Cayce city spokesperson about the lawsuit, as well as Burt’s attorneys.
When blasting began, it caused “significant” shockwaves and disturbed the surrounding land and soil, the lawsuit said, and Burt’s property sustained “substantial and permanent damage” that has diminished the house’s property value. The lawsuit specifically cited harm done to the brick foundation of the house and the concrete foundation of the driveway.
“The damage and depreciation are ongoing and irreversible in nature,” the lawsuit read.
Burt will have to spend “large sums of money” to restore the home to its condition before work began. The blasting near the home also prevented Burt from enjoying his property, the lawsuit said.
The city, along with defendant McClam & Associates, Inc., the company which the city contracted with for the drainage project, were “reckless,” the lawsuit said. They began blasting despite concerns and without adequate safeguards, the lawsuit alleged, and did so excessively within 30 feet of Burt’s property.
It constituted inverse condemnation, according to the lawsuit.
Burt in seeking compensation, as well as attorneys’ fees.
Work on the Cayce Avenues drainage project began in 2025, after planning was in the works for several years, according to the project’s Facebook page. The $10 million investment, concentrated in the Avenues of Cayce neighborhood and at Guignard Park near the Congaree River, was aimed at replacing aging infrastructure, like pipes, and mitigating flood risks. It was funded through grant assistance from the Rural Infrastructure Authority.
