The Enormous US Dam Problem No One Is Talking About

While Congress quickly approved $3 billion to restore New Orleans' levees, a bill to help states repair aging dams has languished for a year.

1 minute read

January 3, 2006, 5:00 AM PST

By Chris Steins @planetizen

"At least 3,500 of America's big dams are unsafe, according to inspection reports filed away in obscure nooks and crannies of government offices across the country. Thousands more dams also are unsafe, the American Society of Civil Engineers concluded this year, but no one knows for certain how many because few states have the funds for even cursory safety inspections.

...In concept and construction, levees are close cousins of dams. But while politicians flocked to support repair of New Orleans' levees, they've virtually ignored a proposed Dam Rehabilitation and Repair Act which has languished for nearly a year in a House subcommittee. The proposal would authorize the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to disperse $350 million over four years to help states repair unsafe dams."

FULL STORY: The enormous US dam problem no one is talking about

Tuesday, January 3, 2006 in The Christian Science Monitor

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