Did you know that there are more than 3500 unsafe dams in the U.S.?

[Poiuyt]

n 2001, ASCE (American Society of Civil Engineers) published the Report Card for America's Infrastructure giving the condition of our nation's dams a grade of D, equal to the overall infrastructure grade. State dam safety programs have identified more than 3,500 unsafe or deficient dams, many being susceptible to large flood events or earthquakes. The number of unsafe dams will continue to increase until a funding source is created to repair them.

more -

http://www.asce.org/pressroom/news/display_press.cfm?uid=1762

Johnstown Flood

[RL3AO]

1. I wonder

if the dam 500 yards upstream of the I-35W bridge is on that list.

[Fearless]

2. Have I ever....

Perhaps if anyone lives in New England then they would remember the dam issues in my home town, Taunton MA. Not a pretty sight.

[Bluebear]

3. Well, when one bursts I am sure the GOP will get around to it. nt

[madokie]

7. wow would they do that

inquiring minds would like to know

[B Calm]

4. There's a dam on the west side of Indianapolis, just north & right along

of I-74.. I often wonder looking up at that dam what it would be like if the dam broke.

[alfredo]

5. The dam at Lake Cumberland is undergoing emergency repairs. They

have had to drain the lake so they can repair the dam.

Read about it here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Cumberland

Risk of dam failure
In 1967 a leak was found at the Wolf Creek Dam. Repairs were in the late seventies at a cost of over $96 million.
On January 22, 2007, the United States Army Corps of Engineers began lowering the water level in Lake Cumberland, fearing a break in Wolf Creek Dam. Water seepage has eroded the limestone under the dam, creating the potential for a breach and subsequent flood that would cause damages into the billions of dollars in cities downstream, including Nashville, Tennessee. The water level, currently at its winter fill level of 690 feet (210 m) altitude, is scheduled to be lowered to a level of 680 feet rather than being allowed to fill to its summer fill level of 723 feet (220 m), reducing the lake's summer surface area from 50,000 to 35,000 acres (200 to 140 km²). The Corps of Engineers will then attempt to curb the leakage by filling affected areas with grout while simultaneously filling a portion of the dam with concrete as a more permanent solution.

The drop in water level is expected to have a negative impact on the area's tourism industry as marinas scramble to adjust their facilities for the lower water level. Total cost to tourism-related businesses is expected to exceed $12 million. By June 2007, wildlife officials were already beginning to notice higher-than-normal water temperatures in the lake, which posed a major threat to the lake's brown and rainbow trout populations.

[liberal N proud]

6. But don't worry

They are inspected. RIGHT?

[WFF]

8. The story of the Johnstown Flood is an interesting one

Andrew Carnegie and a bunch of robber barons had an exclusive camp with a lake made with a faulty dam. They didn't want to spend the money to repair it, so when a big rain came, it gave out and flooded the city.

IIRC