COLUMBIA, S.C. —As part of National Dam Safety Awareness Day on May 31, the S.C. Department of Environmental Services (SCDES) is encouraging residents and dam owners to learn more about dam safety, emergency preparedness and the important role dams play in communities across the state.
From flood control and water supply to recreation and hydroelectricity, dams are a critical part of South Carolina’s — and the nation’s — infrastructure. Nearly all freshwater lakes and ponds in the state are created by dams built across rivers or streams.
SCDES’s Dams & Reservoirs Safety Program helps oversee the safety of nearly 2,200 state-regulated dams throughout South Carolina by conducting routine inspections, reviewing emergency plans and working directly with dam owners to help ensure structures are properly maintained.
“Dam ownership comes with an important responsibility for owners. That is, to operate and maintain dams in a way that doesn’t endanger life, property and infrastructure, and the environment,” said John McCain, Manager of SCDES’s Dam Safety Section. “Our team works closely with the owners of regulated dams to provide guidance, education and resources that help them better understand how to be safe, responsible dam owners.”
When a weather forecast calls for strong storms and heavy rainfall, SCDES Dam Safety inspectors notify dam owners as far in advance as possible to request they visit and evaluate their dams, consider reducing water levels if safe to do so, and ensure spillways and drainage structures are unobstructed and operational. This helps prepare dams to receive significant inflow from rainfall and reduces the potential for water overtopping the dam, which is the most common mode of dam failure.
To further support dam owners and increase public awareness, SCDES is highlighting a new free educational resource available through the Association of State Dam Safety Officials (ASDSO): The Dam Owners Academy.
The self-paced, online training is designed specifically for non-engineers and provides practical information about:
Dam awareness and terminology
Operations and maintenance
Emergency planning and preparedness
SCDES issued the 2025 State of the Dam Report last fall, which provides an overview of South Carolina’s dams and reservoirs and the Dams & Reservoirs Safety Program.
Additional South Carolina dam safety resources, including an interactive map of regulated dams and educational materials for dam owners, are available at des.sc.gov/dams.
