China's mega-dam, the Three Gorges, is facing some growing pains as recent storms have put the structure to the test.
Designed to withstand 100-year storm events, recent rains have caused surges in the Yangtze River, which have caused stress on the $25 billion dam.
"A year after the dam went into full operation, cracks are already showing in the public image of the project. This year's torrential rains, the nation's worst in a decade, have severely tested the project's capacity to control the surging Yangtze, the world's third-longest river.
Last month, when floodwaters poured into the dam's 400-mile-long reservoir at 565,000 cubic feet per second, a government official acknowledged that 'the dam's flood-control capacity is not unlimited' and hinted that more severe flooding could even risk the structure's collapse."
FULL STORY: In China, Three Gorges Dam's image showing some cracks
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