Marlboro County and the Salvation Army provide cleaning supplies for Shady Rest and Richardson Park residents

BENNETTSVILLE—Though the flooding in Shady Rest and Richardson Park wasn’t catastrophic, some neighborhood residents did have damage in their homes May 6 when the Lake Paul Wallace dam was breached.

Because of this, Marlboro County and the Salvation Army teamed up to help residents clean their homes.

“For the ones that had damage, they had really bad damage,” said County Council member Ken Stroman, who represents the area. “We’ve been trying to search for fans, household items and food. We’re just trying to help the citizens out. We’re not going to forget about them. We’re going to do everything we can do. Hopefully something once a week until this thing is done.”

Stroman said the assessment of the damage to the neighborhood has started and there has been significant damage found to a lot of homes in the neighborhoods. “It’s probably about 150 to 200 homes in the Shady Rest area and we’ve found damage in about 80 to 90 homes already. The assessments are not complete yet.”

Residents were given a box of nonperishable food items and a bucket filled with cleaning supplies including gloves, trash bags, laundry detergent, cleaning brushes, putty knives masks, and rags.

The Salvation Army and the county also provide hot dogs and drinks to people who stopped by Carroll Field on Monday.

Historically, Richardson Park and Shady Rest floods during heavy rain storms and hurricanes. In 2022, Bennettsville City Council unanimously approved a resolution to authorize the agreement between the city and SC Office of Resilience for almost $5 million to fund the buyout of properties impacted by flooding in Shady Rest and Richardson Park areas of the city.

Following last week’s dam breach, Marlboro County Administrator, Wilson “Tony” Clyburn issued a statement that read, “As a county, we express deep disappointment and sadness regarding the recent events surrounding Lake Paul Wallace. We commend the swift and courageous response from our emergency management team, the city of Bennettsville, and other municipalities. We stand in solidarity with the residents of Shady Rest Community and Richardson Park, who have faced displacement during high water flow incidents far too many times. We believe this should be the final straw. Moving forward, we will collaborate with local, state, and federal authorities to find lasting and efficient solutions to a longstanding issue. Our commitment to the affected communities is unwavering, ensuring that their concerns will not fall on deaf ears and will be addressed promptly under this new leadership.”

According to a statement emailed to the Herald-Advocate from SC DHEC, “On May 9, an Emergency Order was issued to SCDNR, and the order mandates SCDNR, as owner and operator of Lake Wallace Dam, to develop a Plan of Action that includes monitoring the structure and implementing interim risk reduction measures. SCDNR must submit its Plan of Action by 5 p.m. on May 16. There is sufficient embankment material remaining for the dam to impound water during a potential significant rainfall event.

Based on the data and information we have today, it appears the type of failure that occurred at Lake Wallace Dam was internal erosion, commonly called “piping failure.” Internal erosion is one of the most common causes of failure among earthen dams. It occurs when water that naturally seeps through the dam begins to erode soil within the earthen embankment dam. This can happen without there being any surficial sign of soil movement.

DHEC staff performed a routine inspection of Lake Wallace Dam on April 30, and there was no evidence during the inspection that indicated any type of imminent risk of breach or failure. A copy of the inspection report is attached. The findings of the ongoing investigation into the cause(s) of the failure will also be provided once finalized.

Lake Wallace Dam is classified as a high-hazard (C1) dam. Its condition assessment has been rated as “poor,” and this rating provides an accurate understanding of the risks represented by the dam and the repairs needed to mitigate those risks. Lake Wallace Dam is one of nine high-hazard poor-rated dams in the state that DHEC has been performing extensive technical reviews and engineering analyses of for the past few years. These specialized studies have included geotechnical soil borings and hand augur borings with laboratory analysis of soil samples, as well as development of a hydrologic model for the watershed response based on extreme flooding events similar to those that occurred in 2015. None of the soil borings or other findings collected through the technical review indicated a potential failure mechanism developing beneath the surface of Lake Wallace Dam.”

Read the Lake Wallace Dam inspection report here.