State regulators send warning letters to SC dam owners
State regulators have started sending warning letters of violations to S.C. dam owners who have not complied with emergency orders to submit repair plans.
The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control said owners of 33 of 75 dams that failed or were in danger of failing after last month’s historic rain storm did not respond by an Oct. 30 deadline.
The agency has sent notice-of-violation letters to owners of 24 dams so far. Those owners have until Monday to submit inspections and repair plans, according to the notices.
The notices warn dam owners that DHEC could assess fines of up to $500 a day and make emergency repairs itself or start controlled breaches. The agency would charge owners any costs.
DHEC expects to send more warning notices. Nine dams in Richland and Lexington counties did not respond to the emergency orders. Three – West Lake Farms, Barr Lake and Stevensons Lake – were sent letters warning they were in violation, the agency said.
For the 42 dam owners who responded to the emergency orders by the Oct. 30 deadline, DHEC said it will evaluate the plans and, if needed, conduct follow-up site visits and ask for more information.
The agency said it will determine the start and completion dates for work on each dam individually. No deadlines have been set.
DHEC sent notices last week to owners of another 167 dams where inspectors found damage after more than a foot of rain fell in portions of the state. The damage found at the dams in more populated areas did not pose any immediate safety risk, the agency said.
The storm during the first weekend of October knocked out 36 dams in the Midlands and Pee Dee. More dams not regulated by the state also failed.
CLARIFICATION: The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control confirmed Wednesday that regulators have received an answer to an emergency order from the owners of North Lake dam, also known as the Upper Rocky Ford Lake dam, near Columbia. The agency had not included the North Lake dam on lists of dams that responded to the emergency orders issued in October.
This story was originally published November 10, 2015 at 1:30 AM.