South Carolina legislators have taken steps to strengthen the state’s dam-safety laws, which came under fire after more than 30 structures failed during a 1,000-year flood event in October 2015. The measure before South Carolina’s House of Representatives would require private dam owners to conduct annual inspections and submit findings to the state Dept. of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC). Owners of significant and high-hazard dams also would need to submit each year an emergency dam-breach response plan. DHEC also would gain authority to oversee safety at small structures that could cause downstream property damage in the event of a failure. The 2015 storm, which dumped as much as two feet of rain on inland and coastal areas in just over three days, caused failures at 36 dams.