Saluda Dam
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The Saluda Dam (officially the Dreher Shoals Dam, commonly referred to as the Lake Murray Dam) is a hydroelectric dam located approximately 10 miles (15 km) west of Columbia, South Carolina, USA. It was built during the late 1920s on the Saluda River. At the time of its completion, the Saluda Dam was the world's largest earthen dam, creating the world's largest man-made lake, Lake Murray.
Construction of a backup dam immediately next to the Saluda Dam was completed in 2005 by the SCANA corporation. This stone and concrete backup dam was required by the federal government as a mechanism for preventing flooding if an earthquake of similar magnitude to the 1886 Charleston earthquake was to occur again in South Carolina. It was projected that large parts of the Columbia, SC metropolis (encompassing around 135,000 people) would have been in the flood region if the original dam was damaged.
The SC 6 highway crosses over the dam and is used a fast connection between the towns of Lexington, SC and Irmo, SC. The yearly football game between rival Lexington High School and Irmo High School is often called 'The Battle of the Dam'.
