Local

Family trapped for days after dam breach washes out road

CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, S.C. — Jeff Edwards and his family have been stuck at their home for more than a week. Their private dam breached, washing out the road to their home off Highway 265 near Ruby.

[Florence brings widespread damage to Chesterfield County]

A Channel 9 crew had to yell at Edwards across a 40-foot ravine where Hurricane Florence had swept away his road, Edwards Lane.

“We can't speak to one another because there's nowhere to cross," Edwards said from across the gap in the road.

The only other time the Edwards' have left was through a neighbor's waterlogged hayfield, in a four-wheel-drive truck.

Edwards is a cattle farmer, and the farm pond outside his home was used for his cattle.
The road on his property was the only road in and out.

"This is my lifeline to get to the grocery store. This is my lifeline to get medical attention, to get my family out for appointments," he said.

An inspection by the Department of Health and Environmental Control last year found that the dam was due for repair of a culvert.

Edwards planned to do the work himself. Because of the size of the dam and the amount of water it controlled, however, DHEC required that engineers be brought in.
That increased the cost and delayed the work.

"DHEC regulations during this time prevented me from making the necessary repairs to reinforce this area so that total failure wouldn't have happened," Edwards said.

South Carolina Rep. Richie Yow Sow, R-Chesterfield, saw the property Monday. He's looking for answers too.

"It's scary. It's scary because two families are inside their homes and they can't get out," he said.

Edwards' parents live in another home on the property.

Yow was supposed to be in a meeting with Edwards and DHEC officials on Sept. 12 about getting the dam repaired.
The meeting was postponed, and then Florence hit.

Chesterfield
County won't spend money on repairs to the road because it's private, but a federal disaster declaration
made on Tuesday could help.

Yow said the declaration could release the additional money.

"With him being a cattle farmer, it also frees up the U.S. Department of Agriculture money.
So, there's a chance there that we can look at that as well," he said.

DHEC sent Channel 9 a response Tuesday afternoon saying that after an inspection, the condition of Edwards' dam was listed as unsatisfactory.

The following is part of DHEC's statement:

"DHEC hired an engineering firm to perform independent inspection of the dam on October 25, 2017, noting that the pond was totally drained due to a failure of the dam's primary spillway structure. On May 15, 2018, the Department sent the owner, Mr. Jeff Edwards, the results of the inspection. 

Mr. Edwards was advised that permitted repairs are needed, which requires the services of a South Carolina Licensed Professional Engineer to prepare the permit application for repair of the dam.  

The Department has had several interactions with Mr. Edwards since providing him the inspection report.   He requested that he be able to perform repairs on his dam without obtaining the services of an engineer. The Department denied this request, as the needed repairs require a permit under state law.   On September 17, 2018, the Department performed a post-hurricane inspection on the dam where it was noted that the dam had breached during the hurricane. Mr. Edwards’ driveway runs across the top of the dam and the breach prevents the use of that driveway, which is the only means of ingress and egress to his residence."

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