Private SC dam owners should start now to lower water levels

Owners of private dams in South Carolina should begin lowering water levels and conduct other safety checks in advance of Hurricane Irma’s anticipated heavy rain and wind.

The state environmental agency issued the advisory late Thursday morning as the hurricane churns in the Caribbean, threatens Florida and is expected to affect the Palmetto State starting on Sunday.

Dam owners and operators should check that floodgates are operational and begin lowering water levels,the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control said in a news released.

Owners also should advise operators of upstream dams from their own to take the same precautions, DHEC said.

The flood of October 2015 caused breaches of 19 Richland County dams that are regulated either by the state or federal agencies. The flood did the same to three Lexington County dams that are regulated.

Many more dams are unregulated. Some have trees growing on them. DHEC said owners should be watchful because hurricane-force winds can topple trees and cause dams to rupture.

This story was originally published September 7, 2017 at 12:42 PM with the headline "Private SC dam owners should start now to lower water levels."