Worsening floods and deterioration pose threats to US dam safety

Associated Press

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Floodwaters in rural Minnesota carved a path around a century old dam early last week, causing severe erosion to a riverbank. Several days later, intense rain damaged a dam in Texas. There are roughly 90,000 significant dams in the U.S. More than 4,000 are in poor or unsatisfactory condition and could either kill people or just harm the environment if they failed, according to data from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Many dams are in great shape run by competent operators. But other owners have little money to make needed repairs. States have limited power to force fixes and climate change is making bad rain events in some areas more intense, increasing risk.