Residents in the area of a proposed&bsp; RV park near Campobello strongly denounced the state&squo;s approval of a wastewater system for the facility.

About 50 residents attended a meeting last Thursday night and many of them voiced concerns to officials there from the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC).

In December of 2008, DHEC gave preliminary approval for an on-site waste water treatment system planned by the developers of the proposed 230-lot RV park.

The developers pursued an on-site system after Spartanburg County Council rejected their request to connect to the Spartanburg Sanitary Sewer District.

The developers have been working to address concerns about waste water treatment after the Spartanburg County Planning Commission declined to approve the project near the intersection of Hwy. 11 and I-26 because of concerns about sewage disposal and traffic on nearby roads.

The developers have said they plan to address both of those concerns before resubmitting plans. They have said the park will be upscale and draw business to the area.

Chuck Piazza, one of the owners of the park, said he thinks concerns about the waste water system have been overblown in an attempt to block the project. An engineer at Thursday&squo;s meeting said the proposed system was developed by Louisiana State University and is safe.

But opponents said they think DHEC did not properly evaluate the system before granting approval. They said they believe the waste water system will harm nearby ground and surface water, potentially introducing toxins into water that is used by others in the area.

DHEC plans to continue accepting comments on the proposed project through March 27 and may consider an extension of the comment period.