S.C.’s Lake Murray dam opens spillway

SCE&G announced Wednesday evening it was opening the spillway at its Saluda Hydro facility because of “significant upstream inflows into Lake Murray.”

This is only the second time since 1969 that floodgates will be opened at the Lake Murray dam. The other time was during the disastrous rainfalls of early October. Low-lying homes and roadways downstream and elsewhere flooded as creeks and rivers rose.

SCE&G was criticized for lack of advance warning by residents of some downstream communities that were inundated in those floods. The rush of water contributed to heavy damage in the Coldstream and Pine Glen neighborhoods in Irmo and the Riverland Park neighborhood in Cayce, spawning several lawsuits against SCE&G.

One of four spillgates will be opened at 4 a.m., pouring up to 18,000 cubic feet per second into the Lower Saluda River, the utility announced early Wednesday night. Residents downstream are urged to stay alert for updates from local media and SCE&G’s twitter account (@scegnews).

South Carolina Electric & Gas operates the Lake Murray dam. The utility said Dec. 23 it would give three hours’ warning before opening the gates when it contemplated opening them that day. SCE&G likes to keep Lake Murray below “full pool” at 360 feet.

The utility tested warning sirens and lights Wednesday afternoon as part of normal maintenance.

Residents on the lake will continue to see the lake level rise, the utility said, but that level will be kept within its legally licensed limit. The giant utility says it will continue monitoring lake levels over the next 48 hours and take additional actions as warranted.

This story was originally published December 31, 2015 at 11:33 AM with the headline "S.C.’s Lake Murray dam opens spillway."