$158B Needed to Fix Risky Dams
Date Posted: April 20, 2023
Posted In: Projects,
From Construction Dive: It would cost $157.5 billion to rehabilitate the nation’s 88,616 deficient non-federal dams, per a report released by the Association of State Dam Safety Officials this month — a sum that dwarfs the amount of federal assistance available to do so. The price tag to remediate just the most critical dams is estimated at $34.1 billion.
Rehabilitation becomes necessary as dams age, technical standards and techniques evolve and downstream populations and land use change. However, many dam owners, especially private dam owners, find it difficult to finance costly rehabilitation projects. Deferring that upkeep can lead to disastrous failures.
The federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act includes funding for dam rehabilitation. However, the study indicates that the IIJA’s $4 billion investment over five years is not nearly enough to address even the most dangerous of dams.
Dive Insight:
The number of crumbling dams has jumped in the past decade as deficiencies outpace rehabilitation, according to the study. This poses a huge safety risk to area residents and businesses. The number of high-hazard potential dams, where loss of life is probable should they fail, rose almost 20% in the past 10 years to more than 16,000.
For instance, in 2019 the Spencer Dam near Spencer, Nebraska, failed after an unusually intense storm created a flood of ice, causing the structure to collapse. Kenny Angel, who lived just beneath the dam, died when the deluge washed away his home and business.