Aging Dam Infrastructure Is A Billion-Dollar Problem
The U.S. averages 10 dam failures a year, but the $20 billion needed to repair non-federal dams could prove prohibitive.
The dam failures that have inundated Midland and surrounding communities with water are the latest example in a growing problem in the nation.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says the average age of dams in the country is 57 years.
“Our policy-makers have got to understand that this isn’t just a piece of infrastructure that provides a service, it can also be a public safety hazard,”
Lori Spragens is the executive director of the Association of State Dam Safety Officials. She says incidents like this are preventable, if politicians pay attention.
“Our policy-makers have got to understand that this isn’t just a piece of infrastructure that provides a service, it can also be a public safety hazard,” Spragens says.
Spragens says the U.S. faces on average ten dam failures per year.
The likely reason for the hesitance by lawmakers to provide funding – the cost. Spragens says the cost to fix the critical, non-federal dams in the U.S. would near $20 billion.
Click on the player above to hear Dam Safety Official Lori Spragens on aging U.S. infrastructure.
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