As we explained in our October 19 blog, DHEC has undertaken an assessment of all Class One and Class Two dams in South Carolina in the wake of the record rainfall and flooding during October. That assessment is now complete, and DHEC has issued emergency orders requiring the repair of some 75 dams statewide. In addition, DHEC has identified a further 167 dams as damaged and in need of repair or as requiring maintenance, but the issues with these dams do not place them at risk of failure.
On November 9 DHEC announced that the agency had received a response from owners of 42 of the 75 dams subject to emergency orders. Some 24 other dam owners have failed to submit a response by the required deadline, leading DHEC to issue a Notice of Violation, which is the first step in an enforcement action against the dam owner.
DHEC’s website offers extensive information about the dams surveyed, those that failed during the flooding, and which dams are subject to emergency orders or have been identified for repair or maintenance.
