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Ongoing coverage of South Carolina's recovery from the flooding of 2015.What had been Lindsay Langdale's Columbia home October 3, 2015 was a flooded ruin the next day.This coverage is made possible by a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. In October of 2015, South Carolina received rainfall in unprecedented amounts over just a few days time. By the time the rain began to slacken, the National Weather Service reported that the event had dumped more than two feet of water on the state. The U.S. Geological Survey reported that the subsequent flooding was the worst in 75 years.

Lexington Looks to Replace Dams Broken by Flood

The dam (foreground) of Lexington's Old Mill Pond gave way during the flood of October 2015, leaving an empty pond behind it and destruction in front.
Tut Underwood/ SC Public Radio
The dam (foreground) of Lexington's Old Mill Pond gave way during the flood of October 2015, leaving an empty pond behind it and destruction in front.

Broken dams across the state made last year’s historic floods in South Carolina even worse.  In Lexington, three dams burst, washing debris through the city and flooding U.S. Highway 1.  The city is now seeking to reconstruct the old dams to be more resilient. Tut Underwood has the story.

Tut Underwood/SC Public Radio
Credit Tut Underwood/SC Public Radio
Mill Pond Dam

When the rain started falling in Lexington last year, Twelve mile creek quickly filled up -- the stream runs through Lexington. It caused nine homes to be destroyed as well as a business, though they have "actually moved to a different location and opened back up. The homes that were destroyed, the people that were in those homes were placed in new homes," says Mayor Steve Macdougall.

He adds the damage could have been worse. Several months before the historic rainfall, the Department of Health and Environmental Control examined the dams and made an important recommendation. Macdougall says, "they found that Old Mill dam had a deficiency, so they ordered Old Mill to be drained. I think it was 40 to 60% drained." Though it did eventually fail, the dam was able to absorb more water and hold out for longer.

Since October, the city has gotten a grant from the US Department of Agriculture to help rebuild one of their dams. Specifically, Lexington got the funding for a diversion dike. Special Projects Manager Wesley Crosby says, "it will act as two different structures. It'll assist in getting the water away so they can do construction, and then get the water back in its proper channel."

Tut Underwood/SC Public Radio
Credit Tut Underwood/SC Public Radio
A Broken Mill Pond Dam

In the interim, Lexington is concerned about what impact other rainfall events might have. Heavy rains could mean more flooding. When a recent tropical storm was threatening the area, Mayor Macdougall says "all our departments were on high alert. We were ready to barricade roads. The police were constantly monitoring all three of our ponds and dams and all roads in between those three. The fear is always there that that would happen again. It could easily happen."

The city also seeks relief funding from FEMA, though it doesen't have any word yet. If it doesn't come through, city officials will consider other options to rebuild the dam. 

Tut Underwood is producer of South Carolina Focus, a weekly news feature. A native of Alabama, Tut graduated from Auburn University with a BA in Speech Communication. He worked in radio in his hometown before moving to Columbia where he received a Master of Mass Communications degree from the University of South Carolina, and worked for local radio while pursuing his degree. He also worked in television. He was employed as a public information specialist for USC, and became Director of Public Information and Marketing for the South Carolina State Museum. His hobbies include reading, listening to music in a variety of styles and collecting movies and old time radio programs.