‘It’s a great victory’: SC budget set to include money to fix Conestee Dam

GREENVILLE, S.C. (FOX Carolina) – Members of the South Carolina House and Senate reached an agreement on the state’s $13 billion budget last week.

Included is $36 million for the Conestee Dam Restoration Project.

Built in 1892, the Conestee Dam is holding back millions of cubic yards of toxic chemicals and metals.

“I can say on behalf of the entire team that we’re grateful to the legislature for the funding they provided,” said Project Trustee Kelly Lowry.

The $36 million was a compromise between the original House and Senate budgets, which included $47.5 million and $30 million for the project respectively.

The money will help pay to build a new dam a few feet downstream, helping protect the current dam that is decades past its original lifespan.

“It’s a great victory. Hopefully, it will prevent a catastrophe that could be as high as $2 billion cost for our state,” explained Rep. John McCravy, who worked to secure funding for the project.

The total estimated price tag for the project is $47.5 million, but in addition to the state funds there are 4-5 other stakeholders that have pledged financial help, according to Lowry.

Those include utility companies, local governments, and more.

“(Senate negotiators) required stakeholder participation. We’ve achieved that. Secondly, they wanted to make sure there was no extra room in the budget for waste,” said Lowry.

Legislators will return to the state house on Wednesday for a vote on the budget.

“Soon as that’s done the governor will take up the budget, and he always has some line-item vetoes in the budget. I’ve been assured that this is not going to be one of those,” said McCravy.

The money from the budget would be available this fall, but the work has already started.

“This summer, we’re going to be in the area putting drill rigs into the creek and doing what’s necessary to determine where the dam must go and be safest. So that that data will be plugged into the design process over the fall and the winter and by spring to next summer we will be in a position to actually put the dam in place,” said Lowry.

The goal is to have the new dam in place by 2026.

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