Ophthalmologist near Pinopolis, SC

MONCKS CORNER, S.C. – For just the second time in the 81-year history of Santee Cooper’s Jefferies Hydroelectric Station, the 80-ton emergency Tainter gate at the Pinopolis Lock is being replaced – with the help of a local company.

Santee Cooper has partnered with W International in Goose Creek, South Carolina, to fabricate and assemble a new emergency Tainter gate for the Pinopolis Lock, which connects Lake Moultrie to the Tailrace Canal and the Cooper River. W International, located in the Bushy Park Industrial area, is an advanced metal fabricator specializing in large, complex structural fabrications.

“Consistent with our mission, our goal is to work with businesses and industry in the state to help South Carolina thrive,” said Jimmy Staton, Santee Cooper President and CEO. “W International has a strong reputation as an industry leader in large fabrications. We’re proud to be able to say the gate was made right here in the Lowcountry and that we, as South Carolinians, are working together to energize South Carolina.”

“Working hand-in-hand with Santee Cooper on replacing the emergency Tainter gate upstream of the Pinopolis Lock system has been an extraordinary journey,” said Jim Logan, President of W International. “Our team feels honored to have contributed to such a pivotal project, particularly one located a mere 22 miles upriver from our facility – a testament to the local community.”

“Teaming up with Santee Cooper has been nothing short of inspiring,” continued Logan. “Collaborating on critical infrastructure aligns seamlessly with our shared vision of supporting Santee Cooper’s mission to enhance the quality of life for every South Carolinian. Together, we have strived to deliver not just a gate replacement, but a testament to resilience and progress for the region. We are immensely proud to have been part of this milestone achievement.”

The fully assembled Tainter gate was loaded on a barge at W International on Dec. 9 and arrived at the Pinopolis Lock after about a six-hour journey up the West Branch of the Cooper River. Crews with Superior Cranes Inc., which has a Charleston-area location in Moncks Corner, are placing the gate in its final location this week, pending any weather delays. The previous gate was damaged in September 2022 when Hurricane Ian blew through the state. The original Tainter gate, installed in 1942, reached its end-of-life stage in 2003. Those gates now reside next to each other at a permitted fish attractor location in Lake Moultrie.

The Tainter gate allows Santee Cooper to safely perform maintenance on the lock's upper miter gates. The gate also is designed to mitigate an unlikely “free flow” incident and, in the event of such an emergency, it will raise to choke off the flow of water through the lock system.

W International has delivered approximately 50 products weighing as much as 600,000 pounds via barge shipment. Their team is devoted to supporting the nation’s armed forces, and they are especially proud to contribute to U.S. Navy submarines and surface vessels.

W International SC, LLC manufactures large, close-tolerance, complex structures for critical Aerospace, Defense, and Energy projects. W International’s manufacturing facility is located in Goose Creek, South Carolina, on the Cooper River, 12 miles north of Charleston’s port, on 45 acres, with 480,000 square feet of indoor heavy manufacturing space. The facility utilizes large CNC machining centers and sophisticated welding equipment to produce highly technical, complex components.

Santee Cooper

Santee Cooper is South Carolina’s largest power provider, the ultimate source of electricity for 2 million people across the state, and one of America’s Best Midsize Employers as named by Forbes. Through its low-cost, reliable and environmentally responsible electricity and water services, and through innovative partnerships and initiatives that attract and retain industry and jobs, Santee Cooper helps power South Carolina. To learn more, visit www.santeecooper.com and follow #PoweringSC on social media.

MONCKS CORNER, S.C. – Santee Cooper’s Jefferies Hydroelectric Station has been generating electricity for 80 years. On Feb. 17, 1942, the station first generated electricity and continues today to provide clean, renewable energy to South Carolinians.

Santee Cooper hydropower has a strong connection to wartime efforts and rural electrification. In April 1934, Governor Blackwood signed a bill to create the South Carolina Public Service Authority, known as Santee Cooper, to construct two reservoirs (Lake Marion and Lake Moultrie) and a hydroelectric plant to serve the rural South Carolina population, which in turn would spark prosperity in the Depression-ravaged state.

Construction began in 1939. Just two years later, President Roosevelt named Santee Cooper’s Pinopolis Power Plant, now Jefferies Hydroelectric Station, a national defense project and accelerated its construction as America joined World War II.

When Jefferies began generating electricity in 1942, its first customer was Pittsburgh Metallurgical Co., a defense contractor in North Charleston that made ferrochromium, a key defense metal used to harden steel for ships and tanks. Santee Cooper later served the Charleston Naval Shipyard and the Charleston Naval Base and today still serves, Joint Base Charleston.

Along with the war effort, Santee Cooper supported the people of South Carolina.

“Santee Cooper was started along with a lot of other projects to pick up jobs for this country and, in particular, for South Carolina, to improve the quality of life for the residents overall. That is still the mission today,” said Jody Perry, a 39-year Santee Cooper employee who retired in 2018 as Superintendent of Operations at Jefferies.

Jefferies is named for Richard M. Jefferies, South Carolina governor from March 1942 to January 1943 and Santee Cooper’s General Manager for 21 years.

The Santee Cooper project became the nation’s biggest land-clearing effort and the largest federal Works Progress Administration project east of the Mississippi River during the New Deal. More than 12,500 workers toiled for 27 months, clearing swamps and woodlands, building dams and dikes, and constructing a powerhouse and navigation lock. The navigation lock at the Pinopolis Dam was itself a monumental construction. A 75-foot drop from Lake Moultrie to the Tailrace Canal, it was the highest single-lift lock in the world at the time.

With its giant gears and mammoth gates, the lock system would allow boats to travel from Columbia through the Santee Cooper Lake system and lock to the Cooper River and on to Charleston. Miles of dams and dikes were built to hold back the water for release through the turbines at the Pinopolis Power Plant.

The remarkable effort of constructing the massive Santee Cooper project was considered an engineering feat in its day, and more than 65,000 people from all over the country visited the site to marvel at its construction. From start to finish, it took a mere two years, two months and 22 days. What was created was one of South Carolina’s most resource-laden assets, an important source of energy, jobs and industrial development.

The hydro units can be brought online in about five minutes, making it an important source of reserve power and important in integrating intermittent renewables. Eighty years after it came online, Jefferies Hydro remains Santee Cooper’s most economical energy source.

“One of the reasons I think Jefferies has been around for 80 years is the people. We have an employee whose grandfather worked on the land clearing as a young teenager. When you have people like that, it’s personal to them. When they come to work every day, they understand the mission. They understand why this site is here. You see that in the work they provide,” said Carey Salisbury, Renewable Generation Manager.

Santee Cooper

Santee Cooper is South Carolina’s largest power provider, the ultimate source of electricity for 2 million people across the state, and one of America’s Best Midsize Employers as named by Forbes. Through its low-cost, reliable and environmentally responsible electricity and water services, and through innovative partnerships and initiatives that attract and retain industry and jobs, Santee Cooper helps power South Carolina. To learn more, visit www.santeecooper.com and follow #PoweringSC on social media.

The Order of the Palmetto is the state's highest civilian honor, presented in recognition of a lifetime of significant achievements, service and contributions on a national or statewide scale. In order to receive the Order of the Palmetto, a citizen must be nominated. This once-in-a-lifetime award may only be presented to living natives or residents of South Carolina.

Gourdin was born in Berkeley County Hospital in Moncks Corner in 1939 and has lived in Pineville ever since, with the exception of his time spent in military school and college at Clemson and Auburn.

Through several occupational changes during his working life, Gourdin considers himself blessed to have had several close friends who helped train and shape him towards his successes. He believes that God put him in these various positions for a meaningful purpose, and his goal has always been to make the best of each opportunity.

In his professional life, Gourdin has worked for C.R. Bard Inc., Charleston County Emergency Preparedness and Gates Rubber Co.

Additionally, Gourdin has been a part of the American Society of Safety Engineers, Sons of the American Revolution and the Berkeley County Soil and Water Conservation District.

Other organizations and memberships Gourdin supports include the Huguenot Society of South Carolina, Historical Society of South Carolina, Lord Berkeley Conservation Trust, the Berkeley County Library System, Berkeley County Museum, Col. Hezekiah Maham Chapter, Berkeley County Historical Society, Williamsburg Historical Society and Museum in Kingstree, The Village Museum at McClellanville, First Families of South Carolina, Changed Life Ministries of Moncks Corner and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Most recently, Gourdin has turned much of his work to honoring and preserving local history. He contributes a weekly history column to The Berkeley Independent.

“I don’t know how I had time to work,” said Gourin. “There is just too much to do, too much to learn about my ancestry and lands."

To help shine a light on history in the northern parts of Berkeley County, Gourdin and his wife formed a non-profit called Berkeley North Historical and Cultural Association. Berkeley North’s mission is the preservation and perpetuation of the county’s history, culture and heritage.

Several years ago, Gourdin struck out on his own to identify and map the American Revolution action sites in Berkeley County. He created the American Revolution in Present-Day Berkeley County Map, showing more than 30 action sites. Gourdin also compiled a book consisting of over 110 historical markers in and around Berkeley County that the government has made available to the public and prints as needed.

Outside of his professional, volunteer and historical endeavors, past hobbies of Gourdin’s include photography, learning how to fly, building and racing stock cars, motorcycles, go-karts, planting research tree plots as well as hunting and fishing.

When asked about his receiving such a revered award, Gourdin responded just as expected, with grace and humility.

“Helping people learn where they came from and how they got here (has been the most rewarding thing about working in Berkeley County and South Carolina),” said Gourdin. “We live in the greatest place in the world. Berkeley County history ... there’s much to tell, and so much yet to do ... today! Remember, God didn’t promise us tomorrow.”

“I don’t know exactly what they saw or heard that I was recognized with this award,” added Gourdin. “But they better not try to take it back! Before I go to bed tonight, it’ll be hanging, conspicuously, on the wall in my home.”