Dam Repair Assistance Program Update 

The SCDES Dam Safety Program is pleased to announce that the recently approved State Fiscal Year 2026 State Budget has increased the total amount of state funds available for grant awards under the Dam Repair Assistance Grant Program from $1.5 million to $3 million. 

SCDES has updated the procurement requirements under this grant and has released a revised Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) reflecting these changes. In order to give potential applicants sufficient time to review the changes and revise their applications accordingly, the application deadline has officially been extended to 5:00 PM on Tuesday, September 2, 2025. A video presentation and transcript have been provided to give an overview of the Revision 1 Changes. 

Dam Repair Assistance Grant Program 

Senate Budget Proviso 55.24 (DES: Dam Repair Assistance) has made state funds available for the Dam Safety Program to develop cost-sharing grants to correct dam deficiencies identified by SCDES for High- and Significant-hazard dams that are regulated under the Dams and Reservoir Safety Act. SCDES will solicit applications from eligible applicants for pre-construction and construction efforts associated with dam rehabilitations and removals for eligible High- and Significant-hazard dams. 

The Dam Repair Assistance Grant Program aims to:   

• Reduce or eliminate risk associated with dams  
• Improve accessibility of financial assistance to dam owners who may not be eligible to apply for other dam safety grants  
• Provide financial assistance for the rehabilitation or removal of High- and Significant-hazard dams that fail to meet minimum dam safety standards and pose an unacceptable risk to life and property. 

Questions about this funding opportunity should be directed to DESresponse@des.sc.gov.   

The 2025 State of the Dams: Protecting South Carolina’s People, Natural Resources and Infrastructure through Dam Safety

From 2015 to the present, South Carolina has been affected by numerous tropical weather systems and non-tropical rainstorms/thunderstorms that have dropped extreme amounts of precipitation in vast areas of the State generally over short periods of time. These events have been felt directly by the owners and operators of state-regulated dams. 

Back-to-back hurricanes in October 2015 and October 2016 resulted in the failures of 70 regulated dams statewide. Consequently, the former DHEC undertook an effort to rebuild and reinvigorate the Dam Safety Program, with critical funding from the General Assembly in the form of new one-time and recurring funds. Significant progress has been made in that revitalization effort, although challenges remain. The agency provided the first The 2020 State of the Dams on Aug. 20, 2020, to document the progress that has been made, and how the infusions of state funding has been wisely invested, in improving dam safety in South Carolina. The second and most recent report — The 2025 State of the Dams — was published on Oct. 8, 2025.

In South Carolina, there are more than 2,200 state-regulated dams across the state. SCDES’s Dams & Reservoirs Safety Program plays a critical role in ensuring dam owners keep their structures safe, strong and secure. Visit our interactive GIS map of every regulated dam in the state to learn more about each dam.

Dams are classified based on their size (large, intermediate, small, very small) and their hazard potential (high, significant, low). For a dam to be regulated and appear in the Dams and Reservoirs Safety Program inventory, it must meet at least one of the following criteria and not fall under a regulatory exemption.

A dam can be regulated by the state if it:

• Is 25 feet or greater in height from top to bottom of the structure
• Can impound (hold back) 50 acre-feet or more of water at maximum storage
• Represents a high-hazard potential where improper operation or dam failure may cause loss of human life, regardless of the overall size of the dam

Dams exempted from state regulation are those that meet at least one of the following criteria:

• They do not meet the regulated size and hazard criteria
• They are owned or operated by a department or agency of the federal government
• They are owned or licensed by an appropriate federal licensing agency in the department's judgment, including the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission or the United States Army Corp of Engineers
• Where the South Carolina Department of Transportation or a county or municipal government has accepted maintenance responsibility for a road or highway and that road or highway is the only danger to life or property if the dam were to fail
• In the Department's judgment and because of the dam's size and location, there is no significant threat or danger to downstream life or property.

Hazard potential is determined by the department using the best available data and evaluates the potential loss of human life or property damage in the event of failure or improper operation of the dam or associated structures.

• A High-hazard (C1) dam is a structure where failure will likely cause loss of life and/or serious damage to infrastructure.
• A Significant-hazard (C2) dam is a structure where failure will not likely cause loss of life infrastructure may be damaged.
• A Low-hazard (C3) dam is a structure where failure may cause limited property damage.

Under state law and regulations, before a dam that meets regulatory criteria can be built, altered, repaired, or removed plans and specifications must be submitted to the Dams and Reservoirs Safety Program for review. Once that review is complete, work can commence after a written permit is issued by the Department. The Dams and Reservoirs Safety Program reviews permit applications while also conducting safety inspections of regulated dams and providing informational and technical assistance to dam owners and operators in South Carolina to ensure their compliance with state laws and regulations. 

The program conducts construction inspections and final inspections on permitted projects to ensure all work is performed in accordance with the approved plans and specifications. Before a regulated dam or reservoir can be placed into operation, written authorization must be granted by the program.

SCDES Local Offices are responsible for routine inspections and classification checks on dams. Routine inspections are performed on high hazard dams every two years and significant hazard dams every three years. The findings of these inspections are provided to dam owners with recommendations or requirements to address deficiencies noted during the inspection. Low hazard dams are not regularly inspected but are evaluated periodically to determine if new hazards have been constructed downstream that may lead to a reclassification of the dam's hazard potential. As necessary, the program also takes enforcement action on dams deemed to be unsafe and to ensure compliance with issued permits.

Under state law, dam owners are responsible for maintaining the structural integrity of their dams whether or not their dam is regulated by the Dams and Reservoirs Safety Program. While SCDES does not provide engineering or maintenance services, the agency does provide technical assistance and information to help dam owners maintain compliance with safety regulations. Under state law, the owners of High and Significant Hazard potential dams are also required to have and maintain an Emergency Action Plan (EAP). 

If you are a dam owner and are considering the alteration, repair or removal of a dam, please visit the dam permitting page. If you are a resident who lives near or below a dam, please visit livingneardams.org.