CAMDEN, S.C. — Residents of the Sunny Hill community in Camden seek answers after a road closure disrupted their daily routines two weeks ago.
“I think as a resident of the neighborhood, you know, our concerns are how do we get this fixed," says Patty Rose.
Rose travels regularly along Sunny Hill Drive. “I use this road multiple times a day, every day."
Her daily commute changed on Friday, June 5, when barricades went up. When she walked down Sunny Hill Drive, she was surprised by what she found.
"There’s one rather large sinkhole that's right on the side of the roadway. It is concerning, it seems over the last two weeks to be getting larger," Rose says.
Not only one large hole but several other smaller holes have appeared.
“More than the inconvenience, I mean we’re all concerned about the safety of the roadway," Rose adds.
The road sits between two ponds and goes over a dam.
So, who’s responsible for the fix?
That’s what residents want to know as they are concerned their services will be hindered.
“There’s concern about things like fire, EMS, and police being able to get to this part of the neighborhood as quickly as possible, school buses," Rose said.
First, we contacted the City of Camden since the road is within city limits.
Town Manager Matt DeWitt sent a statement saying:
"We are aware of the current road depression issue in Sunnyhill, and have made sure that all City Services can continue to be delivered to the community. We also ensured that egress to and from homes has not been affected and that everyone can safely reach their residence. The road affected is a State Road so I will defer further comment to our local DOT maintenance team."
We then contacted the South Carolina Department of Transportation, which said they maintain the road but not the dam.
We also contacted the Department of Environmental Services, which oversees dams across the state, and they sent in a lengthy response:
The South Carolina Department of Environmental Services (SCDES) is charged with implementation of a regulatory program focused on the inspection of certain dams to reduce the risk of dam failure to prevent injuries to people and damage to property.
On July 5, 2024, SCDES was informed by the City of Camden that Sunny Hill Drive would be closed by the South Carolina Department of Transportation due to an unspecified issue with Upper Sunny Hill Pond Dam north of Camden. The dam is regulated as High Hazard by SCDES, meaning failure of the dam could likely result in damage to main roadways or loss of life if the dam were to fail.
A staff member was sent to the site and discovered a sinkhole on the upstream side of the dam, above the spillway conduit, suggesting a hole or joint separation in the dam’s spillway pipe. Follow-up inspections by staff have identified other voids on the upstream slope of the dam and slumping on the downstream slope, all indicating broader dam safety concerns – however, there is no imminent risk of the dam failing at this time.
A formal inspection of the dam was performed on Monday, July 8, 2024. Several homeowners were present at the inspection and communicated to SCDES staff regarding the prior formation of Sunnyhill Northlake, Inc. In 2001, pursuant to a South Carolina Circuit Court settlement agreement, homeowners having lots of the upper Sunnyhill Pond established Sunnyhill Northlake, Inc., for the purposes of receiving and responding to inspection reports; maintaining the dam; and establishing and maintaining an emergency notification plan. However, Sunnyhill Northlake, Inc. was administratively dissolved in 2013, contrary to the settlement agreement. SCDES is working to perform a thorough evaluation of our own files on this dam, as well as plats, deeds, and other records at Kershaw County's Register of Deeds. Inspection findings, required actions, and specific deadlines will be transmitted to owners later this week.
(As background, it's not uncommon for dam safety staff to need to research the ownership of a dam. Over time, as a property is sold and resold, or parcel lines are redrawn and easements or rights-of-way change, it can be difficult to definitively know who the owner of a particular dam is. When needed, staff perform diligent reviews of local historical land records to identify the rightful owner or owners.)
To be clear, SCDES has no “rights” to this or any other dam in the state. Our role is to serve in a regulatory capacity in the interest of protecting people, property and the environment through authority granted to us by the South Carolina Dams & Reservoir Safety Act. It's the sole responsibility of a dam’s owner(s) to secure the financial and technical resources in order to repair or remove a dam."
“I’m just hopeful that it doesn’t take a long time, and I’m hopeful that you know some resolution can be found," adds Rose.
News19 also contacted Kershaw County for information on who owns the dam. We filed a Freedom of Information Act request and have not heard back.