AP analysis finds an increasing number of poor, high-risk dams

More than 2,200 dams built upstream from homes or communities are in poor condition across the United States, potentially endangering lives if they fail, according to an Associated Press analysis.

The number of high-risk dams in need of repair has risen dramatically from a similar review conducted just three years ago.

There are several reasons for the increased risk. Long-delayed maintenance has added more dams to the faltering list. The changing climate has put some dams under greater stress from severe rainstorms. Homes, businesses, and highways also sprouted beneath levees that were originally built in remote locations.

“Suddenly, you have old dams with lower design standards that can now cause loss of life if they fail,” said Dale Shannon, an engineer and president of the American Dams Society.

“The number of high-risk incomplete dams is increasing,” he said, adding that without investing in improvements, this number will continue to rise.

The actual number of high-risk dams in poor or unsatisfactory condition is likely higher than the AP’s tally, although it is unclear because some states do not track such data and many federal agencies refuse to release this information.

The dams in the country are on average more than half a century old. They have come into renewed focus in the wake of severe flooding, such as which caused two dams in Michigan to collapse and evacuate 10,000 people in 2020.

The $1 trillion infrastructure bill signed by President Joe Biden last year will inject about $3 billion into dam-related projects, including hundreds of millions into state programs for dam safety and repair.

However, it is still just a fraction of the roughly $76 billion needed to repair tens of thousands of dams owned by individuals, businesses, community associations, state and local governments and other entities besides the federal government, according to a report from the Association of State Dam Safety Officials.

Since 2019, California regulators have downgraded four San Diego water supply dams from fair to poor due to deterioration and concerns that they might fail due to an earthquake or unusually heavy rainfall.

“You never know what’s going to happen, if this is going to last,” said Samuel Santos, a longtime resident who often fished near El Capitan Dam, during a big earthquake.

As a precaution, the water level in the El Capitan reservoir is intentionally kept low, which means less water is available amid a severe drought.

“These reservoirs are very important,” said Republican Senator Brian Jones for the state, whose district includes El Capitan Dam. “We need to start spending money on it to modify and modernize it, to bring it back to full capacity.”

The number of high-risk dams in poor or unsatisfactory condition has risen in part because some countries have stepped up inspections and reassessed whether old dams endanger new developments downstream.

New York has about twice as many high-risk dams in disrepair as in 2018, when the Associated Press collected data for its previous analysis. The increase came as officials pressed to assess all high-risk dams that had not previously been rated.

After more than 70 dams in South Carolina failed during torrential rains in 2015 and 2016, the state ramped up staffing, conducted more regular inspections and ramped up efforts to map potential flood areas. As a result, the number of high-risk dams in poor condition in the state rose by a third from 2018 to 2021.

After Michigan’s dam failure, the state added $19 million for dam safety to its 2022 budget, as well as money to hire more regulatory staff. Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer recently signed a law that provides an additional $250 million for the dams, including about $200 million to repair those damaged by the 2020 floods.

State Representative Roger Hawke, a Republican whose area was flooded when levees failed, said the plan prioritizes high-risk levees “which could be time bombs if not addressed.”

Addressing the problems posed by old, unsafe dams can be challenging. Repairs can be expensive and take years to complete. Attempts to remove levees—and empty their lakes—can lead to legal battles and public protest from those who rely on them for entertainment or to maintain the values ​​of nearby property.

Among those in need of major repair are a pair of very dangerous levees built in the mid-1800s near Cleveland. Upper Shaker Lake, known as Horseshoe Lake, was drained as a precaution after it showed holes and cracks. Local officials last year approved a $28.3 million plan to remove the Horseshoe Lake dam, return the area to a free-flowing stream and rebuild the Lower Lake Shaker dam.

But the plan is facing a backlash from some community members who hired a law firm and engineering firm, launched a fundraising drive, and collected about 2,000 signatures on an online petition to try to save Horseshoe Lake.

“The lake is a beautiful, tranquil feature and is the central park of the Heights neighborhood,” said musician Burt Stratton, a resident who helps lead the effort. “It’s the place where people come together, and they have more than 100 years.”

The Northeast Ohio Regional Sanitation District, which operates stormwater drainage projects, said Horseshoe Lake provides little benefit to flood control and that the district will not pay to rebuild it.

“People need to understand that there is a significant risk in this facility,” said Frank Greenland, director of watershed programs for the region, including “the potential loss of life if the dam bursts.”

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Lieb reported from Jefferson City, Missouri. Casey from Boston. Minkoff of Washington DC Associated Press photographer Gregory Paul in San Diego, reporters David Eggert in Lansing, Michigan and Nick Geranios in Spokane, Washington, contributed to this report.

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