generators went online between 1953 and 1954. The project was completed at a cost of US $78.5 million compared to the estimated cost of US $35.3 million in 1944. Since completion, the J. Strom Thurmond dam has prevented an estimated $185,000 annually in flood damages. In one specific case, the dam decreased the height of the March 1964 flood from to at Augusta, where the flood stage is . The dam also helps maintain the navigation channel near Augusta along with reducing silt in the channel by 22%. Construction obstacles The USACE encountered several problems when constructing the Clark Hill project. The most serious was a conflict with the Savannah River Electric Company (SREC) over the power rights of the Clark Hill project. The SREC had acquired a permit from the Federal Power Commission in 1928 to construct, own and operate a hydroelectricity dam at the Clark Hill site. In 1932, the SREC surrendered the license because of conditions imposed by the Great Depression and a subsequent low-demand for electricity. While the USACE and officials from Georgia were negotiating a plan for the dam in the mid-to-late 1930s, the SREC assured them that they would not interfere. However, during the short construction halt in late 1946, the SREC did in fact reapply for the license. In 1947, the Federal Power Commission denied the SREC the license but the company gained support from Michigan Representative George A. Dondero who was the chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Public Works and Transportation. Dondero introduced a bill that would allow the USACE to build the dam's embankment and allow SREC to build, own and operate the powerhouse. The bill was defeated and SREC announced it would no longer fight for the Clark Hill project or any other Savannah River Basin projects. Dam naming controversy Until 1988, the dam was called Clarks Hill Dam. In 1987, however, the U.S. Congress passed a South Carolina-sponsored bill to rename the dam and lake after Strom Thurmond, a long-time segregationist Senator from South Carolina. In response, a group of Georgia legislators introduced an eventually unsuccessful bill to rename the lake as "Clarks Hill" once again. On April 4, 1989 the State of Georgia legislature passed House Resolution No. 115 making "Clarks Hill" the official state name for both the dam and associated reservoir. Dam and power plant characteristics The J. Strom Thurmond Dam's power-house is a