South Carolina Code of Regulations
Chapter 72 - DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL-LAND RESOURCES AND CONSERVATION DISTRICTS DIVISION
Article 1 - DAMS AND RESERVOIRS SAFETY ACT REGULATIONS
Section 72-3 - Permitting Procedures and Requirements

(1) United States Army, Corps of Engineers

(2) United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service

(3) United States Department of Interior, Water and Power Resources.

(1) Name and address of the applicant and a general description of the dam and appurtenances. The description shall include a statement of the purpose for which the dam is to be used.

(2) A description of properties located in the flood plain below the dam including number of homes, buildings, roads, utilities and other property that would be endangered should failure of the dam occur. For the purpose of delineating the affected flood plain below the dam, the engineer shall consider it the area in which water surface elevations increase a minimum of one foot as a result of dam failure.

(3) Maps showing the location of the dam, identifying the county, the location of state roads, access to the site and the outline of the reservoir. Aerial photographs or USGS maps may be used for this purpose.

(4) Design criteria including a description of the size, ground cover conditions, and extent of development of the watershed, geology and geotechnical engineering assumptions for the foundation and embankment materials and type of materials to be used in the spillway system(s).

(5) An investigation of the foundation and abutment soils or bedrock and the borrow materials including the location of borrow areas, that are to be used to construct the dam. The foundation and abutments investigation shall consist of borings, test pits and other subsurface exploration necessary to clearly define the existing conditions. The investigations shall be performed so as to define the soil and rock and ground-water conditions. Geologic profiles and a geologic report prepared by a qualified geologist or soil borings examined by an engineer shall be required for certain Class II dams, as determined by the Department, and shall be required for all Class I dams. All construction material such as borrow soil and others shall be adequately specified to assure that the properties meet the design criteria. If on-site materials are specified, they shall be located and determined to be adequate in extent and properties.

(6) Data to indicate that the dam will be stable during construction, filling and under all conditions of reservoir operations including earthquake loading. Any slope subject to drawdown that exceeds 6 inches per day shall be designed to remain stable under the maximum anticipated drawdown conditions.

(7) Data to verify that the dam is safe against overtopping during occurrence of the inflow design flood and wave action. Both present and projected future land use shall be considered in determining the runoff characteristics of the drainage area. The most severe of these two conditions shall be used in the design. All hydrologic assumptions and design calculations shall be included in the report.

(8) Calculations, design data or references to indicate that seepage flow through the embankment, foundation and abutments shall be controlled so that no internal erosion will take place and so there will be no sloughing in the area where the seepage emerges. The design may include an embankment internal drainage system, a zoned embankment, a foundation cut-off, an upstream blanket, a sufficiently wide homogeneous section, or other methods deemed appropriate by the engineer to satisfy minimum acceptable safety factors against excessive seepage.

(9) Calculations and assumptions relative to design of the spillway(s). All dams shall have a spillway system with adequate capacity to safely pass a design flood in the range shown in Table 1 for the appropriate classification unless it is demonstrated by the applicant that adequate capacity is provided by other means. For new dams, the design flood should be selected at the top of the range in Table 1 for the appropriate classification categories. The applicant shall justify to the Department's satisfaction any spillway which is not designed in accordance with this provision.

(10) Criteria for open channel, drop, ogee, chute spillways and other spillway types that include crest structures, walls, channel lining, and miscellaneous details. All masonry or concrete structures shall have joints that are relatively watertight and shall be placed on foundations capable of sustaining applied loads without undue deformation. Provisions shall be made for handling leakage from the channel or underseepage from the foundation which might cause saturation of underlaying materials or uplift against the undersurfaces. All earth vegetated spillways shall be designed for an appropriate minimum frequency of use, as shown in Table III. The spillway system shall have adequate capacity to remove from the reservoir within 10 days following passage of the design flood peak at least eighty percent of the water temporarily detained in the reservoir above the elevation of the primary spillway.

(11) Provisions to insure that the upstream slope, crest and downstream slope of earth embankments and abutments will be protected against erosion due to wind and rain. Riprap or other erosion protection shall be considered for the full range in stage between the lowest drawdown elevation and at least two (2) feet above full normal pool.

(12) Other design data, assumptions and analysis data pertinent to individual dams and site conditions.

(13) A proposed construction schedule. The construction schedule shall include the estimated time to complete the construction activities, the techniques and work force to be used to insure that the dam is constructed according to the plans and specifications, techniques to be used to divert stream flow to prevent interference with construction and hazard to life or property, and the extent and method of construction quality control.

(14) A proposed filling schedule for the reservoir.

(15) A maintenance plan. The maintenance plan shall include a listing of the equipment and manpower designated for maintenance and the schedule for performing routine maintenance inspections. The maintenance plan shall address, as a minimum, the following items: such maintenance as is necessary to prevent the growth of trees and brush on the embankment and within the spillway system. The vegetation in areas surrounding dams shall be maintained in such a manner to allow adequate visual inspection of the embankments, spillways and crest of dams; such maintenance as is necessary to remove debris or other deleterious materials from the spillway system; such required inspections as are necessary to insure that all gates, orifices, dissipators and other appurtenances that affect the operation of the dam and reservoir are kept in good repair and working order.

(16) The estimated design life of the dam and the reservoir.

(1) A cover sheet indicating the name of the project; name of owner, classification of the dam; designated access to the project; and the location with respect to highways, roads, streams, and the dam(s) that would affect or be affected by the proposed structure.

(2) Maps showing the drainage area and outline of the reservoir and the ownership of properties covered by the reservoir or flood pool.

(3) Drawings showing the results of surveys which were made with sufficient accuracy to locate the proposed construction in relation to any downstream hazard and to define the volume of the storage in the reservoir. Locations of centerlines, and other horizontal and vertical control points, shall be shown on a map of the site.

(4) Geologic investigation, cross-sections, profiles, logs of borings, location of borrow areas, principal and emergency spillways and other pertinent items shall be included and drawn in sufficient detail and to a sufficiently large scale to clearly indicate their relative locations and the extent and complexity of the work to be performed.

(5) The technical provisions, as may be required, to describe the method of construction and quality control for the project.

(6) Special provisions, as may be required, to describe the technical provisions needed to insure that the dam is installed according to the approved plans and specifications.

(7) General provisions that specify the rights, duties and responsibilities of the applicant, applicant's engineer, builder, and the prescribed order of work.

(1) For a high hazard dam:

(2) For a significant hazard dam:

(1) Information required in the design report for a construction permit.

(2) Complete description of the proposed work which shall include the specific measures to be taken to reasonably insure the problem shall not recur.

(3) Hydrologic and hydraulic calculations and assumptions relative to design of repairs to spillways. Spillway repairs shall be designed so as to provide adequate capacity to safely pass the appropriate spillway design flood. Table 1 provides a range of design floods based on the extent of downstream hazard within each range. The applicant shall justify to the Department's satisfaction any spillway repairs which are not designed in accordance with this provision.

(4) Calculations and assumptions relative to design of repairs to the structural elements of the dam. Foundation investigations and stability analysis may be required.

(5) Reservoir drawdown and refill schedules.

(6) Seepage control. Complete description of measures taken to protect the integrity of the dam during the repair work shall be included.

(1) A cover sheet indicating the name of the project, name of owner; classification of the dam; designated access to the site; and the location with respect to highways, roads, streams, and the dam(s) that are affected by the structure.

(2) Maps showing the drainage area and outline of the reservoir.

(3) Drawings showing the results of surveys which were made with sufficient accuracy to locate the dam in relation to any downstream hazard.

(4) Drawings showing appropriate cross section and profile views of the proposed work with centerlines and horizontal and vertical control points clearly identified in a sufficiently large scale to clearly indicate the extent and complexity of the work to be performed.

(5) Technical provisions, as may be required, to describe the method of construction and quality control for the proposed work.

(6) General provisions that specify the rights, duties and responsibilities of the applicant, applicant's engineer, contractor, and the prescribed order of work.

(1) Information required in the design report for a construction permit.

(2) Complete description of the proposed work.

(3) Hydrologic and hydraulic calculations and assumptions relative to design of any alteration to the spillway system(s), the storage capacity of the reservoir, the normal pool and flood pool elevations or the height of the dam. Any alteration which affects the structure's ability to pass flood waters shall be designed so as to provide adequate capacity to safely pass the appropriate spillway design flood. Table 1 provides a range of design floods based on dam classification. The appropriate spillway design flood shall be based on the extent of downstream hazard within each range. The applicant shall justify to the Department's satisfaction any such alteration which is not designed in accordance with this provision.

(4) Calculations and assumptions relative to design of alterations to the structural elements of the dam. Foundation investigations and stability analysis may be required.

(5) Reservoir drawdown and refill schedule.

(1) Method of draining the reservoir including a proposed work schedule and statement of the sequence of operations.

(2) Method of disposal or stabilization of the sediment.

(3) Disposition of the dam materials.

(4) Description of the reclamation actions to be applied to the dam and impoundment area.

(5) Means for preventing future impoundment.