AP reviewed federal data and reports obtained through state open records laws to reveal that thousands of Americans face life-threatening floods from more than 1,680 high-hazard dams rated in poor or unsatisfactory condition as of last year. The dams are located in 44 U.S. states and Puerto Rico.
News organizations from the Middletown (Connecticut) Press to The Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch and the Albany (New York) Times Union, among others, used the AP data to publish local stories.
Here is a selection of localized reports:
Mississippi has 5,886 dams counted in federal records. Of those, 375 are high-hazard dams, meaning they could kill someone if they fail. https://t.co/HqxWlYxoiH
— WJTV 12 News (@WJTV) November 10, 2019
An @AP investigation found 39 high hazard dams in Massachusetts that are in poor or unsatisfactory condition: https://t.co/cRPiWZPE2R
— WBUR (@WBUR) November 11, 2019
Aging Dams: Investigation raises safety questions regarding dams in Michigan and U.S. https://t.co/KC7rEZ96nu pic.twitter.com/a7pVtsUvtw
— The Macomb Daily (@macombdaily) November 11, 2019
Alan Miller: Collaboration with AP brings you detailed report on dam safety https://t.co/im95LNYVRq
— Columbus Dispatch (@DispatchAlerts) November 10, 2019
The historical Mountain Dell Dam is listed as one of Utah’s five high-hazard dams, but overall, Utah's dams are in pretty good shape compared to other stateshttps://t.co/YO0qAol7GZ
— The Salt Lake Tribune (@sltrib) November 10, 2019
Oregon dams among more than 1,600 at risk nationally, AP investigation finds https://t.co/jSyNboZ26P pic.twitter.com/nW1VRmKc1l
— The Oregonian (@Oregonian) November 10, 2019
North Carolina carries a little-understood risk of flooding as climate change makes rainstorms more intense; the state has the country’s second-largest number of dams in poor or unsatisfactory condition built in places where a failure could kill people. https://t.co/hBgrwGcevD pic.twitter.com/JTxvB6qlDj
— NewsChannel 12 (@wcti12) November 11, 2019
The day the Crystal Lake dam breached https://t.co/ApQZFOjoi5
— The Middletown Press (@Middletownpress) November 10, 2019
An investigation by The Associated Press identified 168 high-hazard dams in poor or unsatisfactory condition in North Carolina https://t.co/BY0Xb7V5nv
— WLOS (@WLOS_13) November 11, 2019
Thousands face risk because of aging U.S. dams, including some in Colorado, AP finds https://t.co/3NtcCYZSys
— The Denver Post (@denverpost) November 10, 2019
An AP investigation found that nearly all of Hawaii’s 130 state regulated dams fall into the high hazard category, meaning a dam failure could cause death. https://t.co/fgzeTt1QCO @AP #HInews
— Honolulu Civil Beat (@CivilBeat) November 11, 2019