A section of Congaree Creek in Cayce is flowing naturally for the first time in five decades following the removal of a dam.
The dam was located in Congaree Creek just off Highway 321 in Cayce, not far from Dixiana Road. A number of agencies and groups collaborated in removing the dam, including Congaree Riverkeeper, the City of Cayce, the state Department of Natural Resources, American Rivers, and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.
According to Congaree Riverkeeper Bill Stangler, the dam, which was owned by the City of Cayce, had been in the creek since at least the 1950s. The dam was near the put-in for the Congaree Creek canoe trail.
Stangler says that Cayce once drew drinking water from the creek in that location, but that changed about two decades ago. So, the dam wasn't serving a real purpose any longer.
"We've been kicking around this idea, and brought together this group of partners with the goal of getting this dam out," Stangler tells Free Times. "U.S. Fish and Wildlife, their aquatic habitat restoration team out of Mississippi — they essentially go and do stream restoration work and dam busting and things like that all across the Southeast — they came out and knocked the thing down."
Congaree Creek is a blackwater creek that flows right through the heart of Cayce, down to the Congaree River. Its canoe trail goes through the Congaree Creek Heritage Preserve.
“The City of Cayce takes pride in its abundance of outdoor recreational opportunities. Removal of the relic dam will provide yet another opportunity for outdoor enthusiasts to enjoy Congaree Creek,” Cayce Mayor Elise Partin said, in a statement.
Stangler says that enhancing the creek for wildlife was a key priority in getting the dam removed.
"You get to restore more natural stream flows when you don't have a dam there," the Riverkeeper says. "It allows fish and other aquatic species to be able to move into areas upstream that they were blocked from because of the dam. There are some priority fish species that will now have more habitat available to them.
"And another big piece is safety. This dam was a potential safety hazard for boaters. ... There was a risk of something bad happening to recreational users out there. Now that [the dam's] not there, the creek is safer for people to use. And it is going to be healthier overall, for fish and other critters that live there."
Information from the Department of Natural Resources indicates 11 dams have been removed from state waterways in recent years. Stangler says he is hopeful the Congaree Creek removal "jumps off a movement" to take out more dams, to restore river health and possibly prevent issues related to flooding.
