FOR NOW …
A dozen dams in South Carolina have failed in the aftermath of “Floodmaggedon,” prompting hard questions about whether they were ever safe in the first place. Courtesy of the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC), here is a list of the dams which have been breached …
Lexington County
| Dam Name | Class* | Dam Number | Latitude | Longitude |
| Old Mill Pond Dam | C1 | D0958 | 33.974641 | -81.232641 |
| Gibson’s Pond Dam | C2 | D0959 | 33.969067 | -81.244925 |
| Barr Lake Dam | C2 | D1717 | 33.958512 | -81.259604 |
Richland County
| Dam Name(s) | Class* | Dam Number | Latitude | Longitude |
| Cary’s Lake Dam | C1 | D0026 | 34.048873 | -80.957954 |
| Upper Rocky Creek/ North Lake/Overcreek Rd. | C1 | D0029 | 34.040808 | -80.951982 |
| Lower Rocky Ford Dam /Rocky Ford Lake | C1 | D0028 | 34.036033 | -80.952343 |
| Semmes Lake Dam | Federal | Fort Jackson | 34.004763 | -80.941769 |
| Beaver Dam/Wildewood Pond #2/Boyd Pond Two (Controlled release) | C2 | D0567 | 34.096382 | -80.886478 |
| Lake Elizabeth | C1 | D 0024 | 34.113028 | -80.987693 |
Lee County
| Dam Name | Class* | Dam Number | Latitude | Longitude |
| Clyburn | C2 | D2412 | 34.329886 | -80.302055 |
Aiken County
| Dam Name | Class* | Dam Number | Latitude | Longitude |
| Corbett Lake | C3 | D2052 | 33.648651 | -81.211333 |
| SC NONAME 02019 (Bailey Pond) | C3 | D2034 | 33.594676 | -81.285939 |
***
According to the agency, a “C1” designation means the dam was classified as “high hazard” in the aftermath of the agency’s recent review of these structures. Five of the breached dams fell under this classification.
One of the breached dams – the Semmes Lake Dam – was under the purview of the federal government as it is (or was) located on Fort Jackson, a U.S. Army basic training location.
31 comments
The catastrophic failure of Semmes Lake dam early Saturday a/m. – which drained the lake in a matter of minutes – contributed to the flooding damage to the neighborhoods on Wildcat Creek and below Lake Katherine. Someone should sue the federal government.
I suspect lawsuits are already being filed. Cottonhope Lane in Kings Grant was ground zero for the outflow from Semmes Lake via Wildcat Creek. A pond at the Fort Jackson Golf Club also breached and flowed down Wildcat Creek.
if any neighborhood in the city could afford flood insurance kings grant would be it
Unfortunately, “could” and “did” are very different concepts.
Most probably don’t have it. The Feds will cover their loses and they will continue to vote for Republicans that don’t support relief efforts except when it favors them. Their tirades against the ‘takers’ will continue.
Personal experience. If FEMA doesn’t put you in a flood plane then you are not obligated to get flood insurance. If you are in a flood plane then your mortgage company will force you to buy insurance and even get some overpriced insurance for you and send you the bill. If you are in a flood plane, do not have a mortgage, and you do not have flood insurance then it is all on you.
BIG IF! If these dams had been maintained properly and if the controlling authorities had set the levels properly then the dams would have done their job and controlled the flow of water through these creeks and it all would have been another ho hum rainy weekend.
Unfortunately the dams were mostly controlled by politicians and I guess HOA’s. So maintenance gets pushed back and no one is in charge. The spin masters will be out in force making sure their interests are not blamed for death and destruction.
Just another day.
That’s the dam that was repaired a few years ago – lack of maintenance contributed to the failure. You can not let trees grow on an earthen dam., Spillways must be clean and maintained and the standpipe has to be sized for the potential water influx and bedded to prevent scouring outside the pipe – which is apparently what led to the failure of Semmes lake dam.
See Old Mill Pond on there. That’s a shame.
Building condemned…and probably the 28 businesses that were in it too…sad.
Who owned that dam. Was it the town?
The town has owned the property for more than ten years. Purchased for like 96K for 54 acres.
Barr Lake and Gibson’s Pond are upstream. They all went like dominoes.
Or picket fences?
I wonder if when they check a dam for safety if they include upstream risk. I would not feel good if they told me a dam was safe, but a high risk dam was upstream.
Based on Will’s reporting, the 2013 report rated Old Mill Pond dam as pretty crappy. So just think, if they’d considered how crappy it was plus the upstream threat. But then maybe they did. That’s why it was lower than normal at the time of Floodpoclypse!!!!! (I didn’t forget your Number One name for the event).
Actually looking around just saw an article by Lexington Chronicle and Dispatch (a fine publication I might ad, run by some very knowledgable and seasoned journalists) – that the pond was at least at low level when the rains hit.
I hear the second hand bookstore got ruined. A tragic loss. SC is so ignorant. It’s autodidact or nothing around here. (Stupid people vote iincumbents every time.) We need the books!
Old Mill Brewpub took a lot of damage, a shame indeed.
Well, water will kill beer every time.
Nikki is late again with updates.
Nikki’s late? Way to go Will.
Look, put yourself in my shoes- someone comes to you and says, “You know, we’ve got a lot of old dams that need work- you should probably find some money for that in the budget.”
I told them the truth:
“Look scro, I used all the extra money I could shift around for a baseball stadium- who the hell cares about dams? Now GTFO, and don’t flush the toilet too much.”
“And go home, I put a curfew on your sorry butt!”
Kills all of the bacteria, leaves all of the extra flavors.
This list is incomplete. It didn’t list South Carolina Political DIgest. That was damn failure too.
Is that one named after Representative Clyburn? If that’s the case, surprised anyone gives a dam.
James Clybrun must be mad too. Not only did his dam bust, spelt his name wrong too.
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Beaver Dam/Wildewood ?
I bet those beavers are mad. Probably blame Haley…..
James Clybrun must be mad too. Not only did his dam bust, spelt his name wrong too.
Rich ass beavers, with lawyers.
“a “C1” designation means the dam was classified as “high hazard” in the aftermath of the agency’s recent review of these structures”
And when was the last review before that I wonder?
Why would two-bit paper-pushing bureaucracy DHEC be in charge of such important structures anyway? Doesn’t DOT or Clemson Public Service or the State Engineers Office have some real engineers who know that things can wash away or fall down?