Drone shot of the tower in the Congaree River (Photo courtesy of Zach Pippin/Carolina News & Reporter)
A Santee Cooper transmission tower fell into the Congaree River on Monday, as strong currents from upstream waters flowed into the Columbia area.
Hurricane Helene hit Florida as a Category 4 storm Thursday and traveled into the Southeast overnight and into Friday. Swollen rivers have been dumping water into South Carolina since.
The tower is a support structure for an electrical line, said Santee Cooper utility spokesperson Mollie Gore. The line itself is not in the water, and there is no longer electricity flowing through it, she said.
The structure fell near the intersection of Interstates 26 and 77.
Boaters might want to be especially careful so as not to get tangled.
It’s “near the mouth of the Congaree Creek from Columbia, so it’s not terribly assessable,” said Congaree Riverkeeper Bill Stangler. “But it is a spot that boaters use.”
Santee Cooper and the state Department of Natural Resources are encouraging boaters to stay away from the structure.
“We’ve been trying to get out there, but the river level is too high right now,” Gore said of Santee Cooper linesmen.
The utility will continue to assess the situation at least through Thursday and hopes to start repair work next week.
“We’ve got a temporary fix that we’re going to install,” Gore said. “But you know, we have to make space. We have to clear out the existing structure and then install the temporary structure.”
The structure is not affecting power delivery, Gore said. Customers affected only lost power for about 20 minutes.
