DARLINGTON COUNTY, SC (WBTW) – The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control issued an emergency action order for 63 dams across South Carolina.
In the Pee Dee Joe Jeffords Pond and Chapmans Pond dams in Darlington County were on that list.
The Chapmans Pond dam in Darlington County broke when the heavy rainfall and flooding hit the Pee Dee.
What used to be a dirt road and blockade to keep the water in Chapmans Pond from reaching to the other side is now an over 10 foot fall.
According to DHEC records the Chapmans pond dam shows repeated deficiencies over several years. In one case, erosion was discovered in the same area of the dam from 2010 to 2014.
In the inspection report from December of 2014 the state classifies Chapmans Pond dam as C2.
The C2 classification means if the dam fails it will likely not cause loss of life but may damage infrastructure.
According to DHEC the reason why Chapmans Pond dam was classified in poor condition is because erosion was seen on some areas on the downstream slope of the dam and large tress located downstream were preventing the water from flowing freely.
Meanwhile the current owner David Atkinson tells News 13 DHEC advised him to lower the pond but with the dam falling in it was a job that he says is already taken care of.
Atkinson says he plans to have an engineer to come and rebuild the dam but when that will happen he isn’t sure.
DHEC states that maintenance and repairs on dams are the responsibility of its owners. However each dam owner must confirm with DHEC for the dam repair permit.
