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After more than two years, Dominion Energy says that restoration at the Lake Murray dam is complete.
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The lake has 223-foot-high intake towers, part of the Saluda Hydroelectric Project. They are visible while driving across the dam. These towers supply water to the Lower Saluda River through power-generating turbines and are an essential part of shutting off the flow of water.
Work on the towers began in January 2024 and continued through the summer of 2026, replacing each of the five towers’ headgates and reconstruct brick enclosures.
The headgates are now operational, according to a news release.
“For nearly a century, these iconic towers have generated power for the communities we serve while providing a means of regulating lake levels and water quality for not only Lake Murray but the lower Saluda River as well,” Keller Kissam, president of Dominion Energy South Carolina, said in a news release. “The dedication of the project team and their construction partners to complete this restoration safely will ensure the towers continue their role in supplying reliable energy for years to come.”
Dominion has created a 200-foot “exclusion zone” around the towers, which bars watercraft, like boats, from going inside the buoys marking the area, to ensure the public safety and security of the towers.
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The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources will enforce the exclusion zone.
“We thank the public for their patience and their observance of the exclusion zone,” Kissam said in a news release.
Officials said crews will remain on site over the next few months to remove a floating dock and other equipment near the Lake Murray Public Park in Lexington.
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