SCE&G to Test Sirens for Lake Murray Dam, V.C. Summer

A test of the siren warning systems for the Lake Murray Dam and V.C. Summer Nuclear Plant will be held on Tuesday.

The first test will be a full activation of the siren warning system along the Lower Saluda River at noon as part of the Lake Murray Dam emergency action plan, according to a SCE&G release.

A full, three-minute sirens test is conducted on the second Tuesday of January each year. One-minute functional tests are conducted at noon on the second Tuesday of each month during the remainder of the year.

In the unlikely event of a potential failure of the Lake Murray Dam and the new backup dam, the sirens are activated to alert the public to tune in to Emergency Alert System stations for information.

The second test on will be held around 1 p.m. at the V.C. Summer Nuclear plant in Fairfield County near Jenkinsville. The company will sound the 106 sirens located within a 10-mile radius of V.C. Summer.

All sirens surrounding the plant are usually sounded on the first Tuesday of each quarter for one minute as part of the plant’s regular testing program, officials said. 

With the New Year holiday, this test will be conducted on the second Tuesday.

Area residents are reminded that the one-minute sounding of sirens during this time period is only a test.

In the unlikely event of an actual emergency at the plant, the sirens would sound for three minutes with no prior notice and would alert area residents to tune to an Emergency Alert System radio or television station for further instructions.

For more information, visit SCE&G's website. You can also call your local emergency management office:

• Lexington County: 803-785-8343
• Newberry County: 803-321-2135
• Richland County: 803-576-3400
• S.C. Emergency Management Division: 803-737-8500