So soggy for all that's happened

It's raining again, reminding me that I promised you pictures of Columbia's recent "thousand-year rain" -- or rather, some of its aftereffects.

The Columbia area is fairly crammed with lakes, rivers, creeks, streams, rivulets, et cetera. Also much pondishness is about.

There are lots of dams. I don't know how many. We live less than two miles from Lake Murray, a large man-made lake with over five hundred miles of shoreline.

It has a dam: called interchangeably the Dreher Shoals Dam and the Saluda Dam.

We just call it the dam. "I'm going over the dam to Wal-Mart," someone might say. Or not, depending on which Wal-Mart they're aiming for.

You get my drift. In any case, the dam that dams up Lake Murray didn't break.

Twelvemile Creek was another story. It meanders through many miles (at least twelve) of Lexington County (where I live), emptying into at least one lake and several ponds as it goes.

It is controlled in certain places by three dams.

All three dams broke on Sunday, October fourth.

I've never seen one of those dams -- the one at Barr Lake -- and in fact didn't know it existed until this happened. 

Of the remaining two, only one was familiar to me: Gibson Pond Dam, where I've spent lots of happy hours and taken many, many pictures.

Here's one of Erica and Javier, on an early spring outing three-or-so years ago.

As you can see, there's a heavily-wooded park beside the pond, and places to swing and watch the ducks, or loll at picnic tables, or fish from a pier, plus an elaborate system of walkways and steps designed to get you right down beside the small, aging dam's rushing waters.

Here is Gibson Pond in more peaceful days:

See what I mean? It was wildly popular with the local waterfowl population.

Today their habitat is substantially more shallow. I am sure they're bewildered.

Here's a picture of my nephew and his wife, with the dam behind them:

Javier liked to walk there too.

It was wet and wild fun for a dog that doesn't get out much.

Here's how the Gibson Pond Dam looks now:

The walkways were destroyed too, or at least rendered dangerous to use.

There's lots of crime scene tape so folks get the message and stay out.

The overpass running across Twelvemile Creek at the dam was open, and I wish I'd gotten some photos from that vantage point, looking back at the broken dam. Apologies. I was short on time.

Moving along upstream, the third and last dam to break (although not necessarily in that order; someone told me this dam broke first) was the very old earthen dam at Lexington Mill Pond.

The old mill is exactly what it sounds like: A cotton mill built in the last decade of the nineteenth century.

It has been preserved and restored and for many years has housed a number of businesses.

It's nice to see that although the dam broke and a great deal of property was destroyed, someone's sense of humor remained intact.

But it's a shame they're missing that E. Oh and an I.

Lean times.

In the above photo you can see by the dark stain on the brick, how far the water came up into the old mill.

Whatever was behind these doors is now sodden rubble. But at least she said yes.

The tall old smokestack was unfazed.

In the back part of the old mill, the damage was extensive. TG clambered up over some rubble to take this picture for you:

He took this one too. Click these to embiggen.

The water was still rushing strong when we were there a few weeks ago.

The metal structure is the remains of a footbridge that people could use to walk across to the mill shops from an overflow parking lot.

Before the flood, it was asphalt all the way up to the far edge of that little bridge. It's all gone now.

To help give you extra perspective, here's an aerial video taken on the day the dams broke. It's not exciting but you can see from the air, everything I've showed you from the ground.

TG just reminded me that I promised you I'd post this on Monday. Here it is Tuesday morning (technically) but as far as I'm concerned it's still Monday (technically) because I haven't gone to bed yet.

That's a situation I plan to remedy within moments. Another rainy day is promised for tomorrow. I mean today.

=0=0=0=

Happy Monday Tuesday New Week

Comments

[Judy Miller]

Oh--those photos break my heart!!! Except the one of Erica--she is a beauty!!

[Mari]

This is so sad! Water can be a powerful thing.
Tell TG thank for taking the photos. I enjoyed them all.

[Sally]

Wow - sometimes we just don't appreciate things until "gone". Nice photos though and as only you {& TG) can make happen.

xoxo

[Donna (Texas)]

OMWord girl!!! What a mess! Hope it all gets fixed back up soon...so sad to see things like this.
Glad you and your's are alright!
hughugs