Gem Lakes Recreation Association

**NEW and updated information as of 10.3.21 Please scroll as there is quite a bit!! Additions/highlights are in red text.**

Oktoberfest, 30 October 2021, 5pm:

We hope to see you all there at 5pm! Please remember that we will not be providing alcoholic beverages this year. Food, sodas, water, and pumpkins will all be provided as well as the fantastic sounds of Rudy and the Channelheimers! Signs will be posted throughout the neighborhood as always. Any updates will be posted to the website as they come up.

Thank you to all who attended the Q&A session on October 2nd at 9:00am at the pavilion regarding the dam assessment. Please be patient as we put together the responses to questions for posting to the website for those who were unable to attend.

If you need additional time to pay the special assessment for dam repairs, please reach out to the president (Stephan Kraus) or the treasurer (Duane Berning) via email. President: [email protected] Treasurer: [email protected]

There will be a work day on October 9th at 9:00 to conduct clean-up, general maintenance, and minor repairs around the recreation area. Many hands make light work! If you have a weed eater, loppers, and/or any tools that would help with the list below, please bring them along!!

Work to be done:
Weed eat around tennis courts
Patch driveway
Fix steps
Clean firepit
Trim shrubs around bathhouse
Trim trees around playground
Shovel dirt off steps
Fix drain poipe with flex seal
Remove rope & Fix buoys on rope
Sand graffiti off of tables
Brush cut back side of dam
Weed eat around walls and benches
Weed eat waters edge swim lake and small pond
Weed eat around bridge
Clean up deadfall
Get hay for Oktoberfest
Pick up workday signs

Dam Repairs

UPDATE: The end is in sight!!! The valve has been installed and closed. Topsoil, seed, fertilizer, and straw mats have been placed. Boards will be going back in as they are finished (some customization is required with the changes to the overflow box). The lower lake is filling up and will soon be back to its previous glory. Thank you all for your patience as we have continued to work on the mandated repairs.

We continue to complete the South Carolina DHEC mandated repairs to the lower dam. The state has historically inspected all of the dams in the state and ours consistently received a "satisfactory" rating. However, after the catastrophic failure of so many dams in 2015, SC DHEC required all dam owners to hire Professional Engineers to inspect all large dams. Our lower dam was labeled "hazardous" due to multiple large tress growing in the downhill side of the dam. We were required to hire another PE to develop a plan to repair the dam, the plan was submitted to the state and we were granted a permit to complete the repairs. The permit will expire in 2027. In order to successfully and completely remove theses large trees from the dam, it is imperative to lower the level of the lake as much as possible in order to minimize the stress on the dam during the removal. The soil from the removed tree holes must be tested by Geotech engineers in order to determine the makeup of the soil brought in to fill the voids created by the removal. Recently significant rainfall has negatively impacted the progress on the dam repairs. Mud and heavy equipment do not work well together. While the lake is so low we can clearly see the stumps from pre-dam times. These stumps contribute to the healthy habitat for the wildlife that prosper in our lakes and are essential to healthy lakes. We all look forward to the successful completion of the repairs and the return of the lake to full pool. In the interim we appreciate your patience and understanding.

Are you are a realtor or lawyer seeking current dues status information before closing or refinancing a house? If so, please contact the GLRA Bookkeeper:

Evelyn Miano
(803) 648-1592
[email protected]

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