DNR seeks $91 million across 17 priorities, highlights $25 million Paul Wallace Dam repair and land purchases

Tom Mulligan, director of the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, told the subcommittee the agency presented 17 funding priorities and asked for a mix of recurring and non‑recurring appropriations to address staff capacity, infrastructure and hazard mitigation.

“Our first priority is for staff recruitment retention, and with this priority, we're asking for $3,023,098 in recurring funds,” Mulligan said. He described a package of 17 FTE actions (17 total FTEs requested), conversions and reclassifications to replace lost federal funding and to support programs including body‑worn cameras and statewide land conservation coordination.

Nut graf: The department framed the requests as responses to infrastructure needs exposed by weather events, rising operating costs and program expansions, with several large line items tied to dam repairs and habitat acquisition.

Mulligan said the agency estimates $25,000,000 to completely repair Paul Wallace Dam in Marlboro County after the May 6, 2024 breach, and approximately $2,000,000 to repair Mountain Lakes 1 and 2 in Chester County. He described the $25,000,000 estimate as intended “to completely repair the dam.” The department also requested $4,500,000 for statewide flood inundation map modeling to complete the final two‑thirds of the state model used by emergency management and law enforcement.

Other priorities included a $30,000,000 non‑recurring habitat protection and land conservation request (about $17,500,000 proposed to purchase the Goodwill Tract near Wateree River Heritage Preserve and to acquire roughly 2,700 acres across Pickens, Florence, Horry and Lancaster counties), $4,950,000 for waterfowl impoundment maintenance, and $4,150,000 to replace two legacy aircraft and purchase 23 law‑enforcement trucks.

The agency seeks $13,333,333 in state funding to meet up to a 25% match requirement for a FEMA Swift Current grant, with a minimum $1,333,333 needed to accept any portion of the grant and the remainder proposed to support homeowner or local community assistance matching where eligible.

Mulligan also proposed amendments to three provisos: removing a restriction that prohibits general funds for supporting operations of South Carolina Wildlife Magazine (Proviso 47.1), deleting a Barnwell County amphitheater distribution proviso no longer needed (Proviso 47.2), and replacing a fixed allocation in Proviso 55.14 to reflect variable annual amounts for aquatic nuisance species and law‑enforcement operations.

Ending: Committee members asked follow‑up questions about the permanence of the Paul Wallace repairs and local cleanup efforts; Mulligan said the estimate aims at a full repair with an expected useful life similar to modern dam construction and that volunteers and agency crews are supporting canal and neighborhood cleanup.