Lake Paul Wallace dam breaches for second time since May, water levels rising in parts of Bennettsville

BENNETTSVILLE, S.C. (WBTW) — A breach in the northern section of Lake Paul Wallace Dam in Bennettsville is causing rising water levels in low-lying communities, city officials said on Wednesday.

“Residents should exercise extreme caution and evacuate low lying areas. We ask that citizens stay away from these areas as emergency service personnel work to manage this developing issue,” the city wrote on its Facebook page.

It’s the second time since May the dam failed.

State environmental regulators said on May 14 that internal erosion was the culprit of a dam failure a week earlier.

“Based on the data and information we have today, it appears the type of failure that occurred at Lake Wallace Dam was internal erosion, commonly called “piping failure.” Internal erosion is one of the most common causes of failure among earthen dams,” DHEC spokeswoman Laura Renwick said. “It occurs when water that naturally seeps through the dam begins to erode soil within the earthen embankment dam. This can happen without there being any surficial sign of soil movement.”

This is a developing story.

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Adam Benson joined the News13 digital team in January 2024. He is a veteran South Carolina reporter with previous stops at the Greenwood Index-Journal, Post & Courier and The Sun News in Myrtle Beach. Adam is a Boston native and University of Utah graduate. Follow Adam on X, formerly Twitter, at @AdamNewshound12 . See more of his work here .

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