LEXINGTON, S.C. — Reconstruction of three Lexington dams has been happening over the course of the last seven years following the flood of 2015 and it's finally nearing an end.
Theses dams sit on Barr lake, Old Mill pond and Gibson pond.
"The dam that was there before was quite old and so with everything that happened and all of the new standards and codes, this dam is built to withstand a flood like that if it were to ever happen again," said Laurin Barnes, town of Lexington communications manager.
Gibson pond dam was finished in August 2021.
Old Mill pond was supposed to be finished this spring, but there have been some challenges.
"Labor shortages. That made it difficult between finding people that can do the work and or just the large volume of construction going on in Columbia and in South Carolina in general," said Laban Chappell, the Old Mill pond dam owner.
They've also had rain delays.
The owner of the property says they have an inspection with DHEC scheduled for later this week. They're expecting to wrap everything up by early fall and construction for the walking trail the town is building around the dam will start in two months.
"The trail will be right at a one mile loop, just right down the heart of downtown Lexington which has seen a lot of revitalization, so this should be a nice addition to what they've done with the amphitheater and tying all that in to make a really nice walking community," Chappell said.
News 19 reached out to the owner of the Barr lake dam, but has not heard back.
According to the National Inventory of Dams, the last inspection was in November 2020.
According to DHEC, once the dam owner and their contractors implement an approved plan, a request for a "Certificate of completion" is submitted. DHEC then performs a final inspection of the work before issuing a certificate of completion, which allows the owner to once again impound water behind the dam.