Lake Conestee Nature Preserve, formerly Lake Conestee Nature Park, opened in 2006, is a 400-acre (160 ha) preserve along three miles of the Reedy River in Conestee, South Carolina, with 13 miles (20.9 km) of trails, more than 6 miles (9.7 km) of them paved and 1 mile (1.6 km) of boardwalk. Dave Hargett is the co-founder of the Conestee Foundation, a small nonprofit that owns the dam six miles south of Downtown Greenville. The 125-year-old stone masonry dam that holds in place up to 2.8 million tons of toxic sediment in Lake Conestee Nature Park poses a serious environmental and economic threat if South Carolina Public Radio News and Talk, South Carolina Public Radio News and Music. Hawthorn, and W. Perry. Conestee dam could spell disaster for the Reedy River, owner says. Nearly all those 700 dams are older than 30 years and overall. Students will discover these connections and more through three stations: History/Human Impact; Soil/Land; river morphology/impact of dams. But, "Nobody wants to get their wallets out.". But it still worries him to think about a dam failure at Lake Conestee, and he says that the cost and time of cleanup would almost certainly demand federal and state help. It was a power generation system for an Industrial Age business that, like thousands of other dams in the United States, still stands, far beyond its intended lifespan. (SC standards: H.E.3B.2, … 68 Bewertungen. Nearby is the Conestee Park. Helpful. Historic Lake Conestee and the Lake Conestee Dam are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, along with parts of Conestee Mill. The dam at Lake Conestee in Greenville holds back a football stadium (or two) worth of contaminated sediment. The south end of Lake Conestee Nature Park is off Conestee Rd. “It’s a liability and an asset. Its old-school stone masonry is an engineering marvel, but a close look shows the dam's advanced age. A Most Unexpected SC Rarity, Lake Conestee Nature Preserve, SC, November 19, 2020 ... And a slow walk through the pine forest near the dam yielded a nice collection of landbirds but none of my targets. The date the first dam was built on the Reedy River is unknown, but by 1892, the demand for power had grown and the rock dam was raised to its present height, creating the 130 acre Lake Conestee. Follow Scott on Twitter @ByScottMorgan. Natur- & Tierschutzgebiete. Contaminated soil would move slowly, meaning fallout could be managed, he says. Nr. When severe flooding hit parts of Greenville County on Feb. 6, Conestee Foundation Executive Director Dave Hargett thought it might be the day the 128-year-old Lake Conestee dam … If you visit walk down to the dam at … Read more. That includes construction of the dam, creation of a new entity to own the dam and a long-term care endowment. Detailed information about dams in the United States is available through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’, More information about Lake Conestee and the Conestee Foundation is available. McBee and Adams continued to expand the Conestee Village and added McBee Methodist Chapel in 1841. "We're in support of repairing and replacing the dam, but there's still a lot of work that needs to be worked out. Years of study by the state Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) and Duke Energy have concluded that a new wall, built in front of the existing one, is the best solution. Once covering 130 acres, the lake slowly filled with sediment from industrial waste making the once vast body of water only about 90 percent of its original size. In 1862 McBee sold the mill to J.W. Chromium and lead. While Lake Greenwood is a popular recreation spot, it’s also the public water supply, which is why Russian cares so much about what happens upriver. That is "Big Water" for a little river. Hargett has asked DHEC to include a $185,000 proviso in its 2017-2018 budget to fund an engineering study that will help the foundation identify a long-term solution for the dam. That’s why Duke is in this conversation. It is thought that during the Civil War, material for Confederate Army uniforms was manufactured at Conestee. Jennifer M wrote a review Jul 2019. He’s also sure that he’s frustrated with the fact that everyone knows what to do, but nothing is getting done past endless meetings and talk. Lots of other birds easy to spot when the leaves have fallen. We look forward to additional study DHEC is planning to conduct and working with the groups involved on a plan that serves the long-term needs of all.”. Winter terrain is interesting. The dam, however, was rated in poor condition last year due to leakage, age-related deterioration, and structural concerns. Published February 4, 2017 in The Greenville News. Students will discover these connections and more through three stations: History/Human Impact; Soil/Land; river morphology/impact of … Now, the Conestee Foundation, the nonprofit that purchased the lake property in 2000, is trying to prevent the dam’s failure. Even Ray Farmer, the director of the South Carolina Department of insurance, can’t say what it would take to insure a dam, much less one of the scope of the one at Lake Conestee. Date of experience: October 2019. "We look forward to working with these groups on a plan that serves the long-term needs of all involved," Mosier said in an email. Now it will take on a new life as a multi-use development. "We can’t stop it.”. Photo by Will Crooks. "Everybody agrees we gotta do something now," Hargett said. Simply building a new wall and leaving it there is not all that has to happen. Hargett adds that contemporary engineers marvel that this old stone masonry structure is still holding up so well – because, he says, this dam could last another 50 years … or blow apart by the time you’re done reading this sentence. The next stop was a short distance away at the Elrod Ferry Recreation Area which is a wooded peninsula sticking out into Lake Hartwell. Lake Conestee Dam- Reedy River - 10AM on 07 Feb 2020 Update 07 Feb 2020 - After the storm. And the dam could last another 50 years, or blow today. Colonial Pipeline, headquartered in Georgia, had seven spills from 1996 to 1999 and paid millions in settlements to South Carolina, landowners and federal Clean Water Act fines. Historic Lake Conestee and the Lake Conestee Dam are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, along with parts of Conestee Mill. McBee and his mechanical supervisor, an engineer and millwright from Scotland, John Adams, built the dam in 1840s. Owner: Lake Conestee dam must be replaced to prevent catastrophe. One, being able to get the land just to do the work.". That mill is the reason this dam – 585 feet across, 28 feet tall, and up to 10 feet thick – exists in the first place. So this is why all of the entities with a stake in the health of this dam agree that building a new wall is the safest, cheapest, and best option. 1 von 1 Aktivitäten in Conestee. In addition, the historic lake parcel, including the Lake Conestee Dam, is listed on the National Register of Historic … “Also, residuals of the incomplete combustion of coal in particular.”. The top of the dam wall at Lake Conestee. "We have not been approached to fund any of it," the CEO of the water treatment plant told The Greenville News. The dam could become a National Priority List site, he said. The Conestee Foundation owns the Lake Conestee dam and is, as far as DHEC is concerned, responsible for its health. 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