The Dam Truth: The 91,000 Dams in the US Earned a “D” for Safety

Damage to the main spillway of Oroville Dam on 8 February 2017  Photo: California Department of Water Resources

They might want to add a few days to infrastructure week.

Largely as a result of the funding shortfall, in its latest infrastructure report card, in 2017, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) gave the nation’s 91,000-plus dams a D grade, the same grade they have received in every ASCE report card since the first one was issued in 1998. The ASCE estimated the cost of rehabilitating dams whose failure would threaten human life at nearly $45 billion, and the cost of fixing all dams in need of repair at more than $64 billion. This year, the Association of State Dam Safety Officials (ASDSO) arrived at an even higher number — nearly $71 billion for all dams.

LINK (via: Mother Jones)

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