I-TEAM: A look at dam failures in South Carolina, Georgia
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Before Tropical Storm Debby’s arrival, state leaders warned dam owners to clear debris from spillways to prevent overtopping.
That’s when water spills over the top of the dam. It’s the most common cause of dam failure.
From 2010 through 2019, nearly 130 dams failed across the United States.
Dams are a unique part of our infrastructure system.
That’s because most are owned by private citizens, not the government.
MORE STORM COVERAGE:
- Immediate evacuation urged in Edisto River area of Bamberg County
- Red Cross crews head to communities impacted by Debby
- Screven County continues to cope with worst flooding in memory
- Washouts, floods and mud: Debby leaves damage across CSRA
But the government is responsible for oversight, and the government is lagging behind.
Eureka Lake Dam is one of 46 privately owned low-hazard dams in Screven County.
Privately owned dams make up the majority of dams in both Georgia and South Carolina.
Our I-TEAM tracked dam failures across both states.
You can see from the map below that South Carolina is more prone to dam failures than Georgia.
Debby washes S.C. road away from beneath family
A family in South Carolina said they’re grateful to be alive after Tropical Storm Debby took the road out from underneath them.
In Screven County, flooding of this magnitude is also not typical for the area.
Eureka Lake Dam is categorized as a low-hazard dam.
The state is required to inspect low-hazard dams once every five years. However, the I-TEAM found the National Inventory of Dams lists the last inspection date as 2018.
That means it should have been inspected last year, but Georgia says it wasn’t.
Dams are classified into two categories. Screven County’s dam is category two, which doesn’t require a full inspection.
Dams that are a category one are dams which could be deadly if they fail.
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