Without key personnel, dam safety may falter. Watchdogging reporters can help protect their communities.

Part of Oroville Dam broke allowing water to the right 
of main spillway to flow downstream. (Wikipedia photo)

The Trump administration fired the entire National Dam Safety Review Board, which provided federal oversight to ensure U.S. dams remain structurally sound and functional. Without key employees to inspect, maintain and run dams, they could pose a risk to surrounding lands and communities.

"When a major dam fails, people’s lives could be lost and property destroyed, writes Joseph A Davis for the Society of Environmental Journalists. "Right now the best hope many residents in harm’s way have for staying safe is watchdogging by environmental journalists."

Some dam details:

• The 2017 Oroville Dam crisis is an example of what can happen when a dam is compromised.
• The National Dam Safety Review Board is only one part of the federal dam safety program, which is administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
• States regulate roughly 70% of the country's dams.
• Most U.S. dams are privately owned and state-regulated.

Story ideas:

• Take a look at the National Inventory of Dams and locate any “high hazard” dams in your state. What populated areas would their failure threaten?
• Find out what condition those dams are in. This may be harder. When were they last inspected and what was their rated condition? Can you get the inspection report? Try your state engineer.
• Do the high-hazard dams in your area have “emergency action plans?” Can you get a copy? Will the plan keep people safe? Who’s in charge of notification and evacuation?
• Who regulates and inspects the dams in your area? Talk to your state engineer.
• Are any of your area’s dams in line to get federal money via the Inflation Reduction Act, Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, etc.? Is it being held up?

Reporting resources:

U.S. Society on Dams: A professional organization, nonprofit and nongovernmental, that shares knowledge about engineering.
Association of State Dam Safety Officials: A good access point to the many state-level officials, often engineers, who work on the problem of dam safety.
American Society of Civil Engineers: A professional organization of engineers working on all kinds of civil works, including dams.
Interagency Committee on Dam Safety: ICODS is “the permanent forum for the coordination of federal activities in dam safety and security.”

U.S. dams are aging and vulnerable to failure; many communities will have to decide between removal or repair

Flooding in Wisconsin after a massive storm in 2018. (National
Weather Service photo via the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

Deteriorating dams have left many U.S. communities searching for affordable, safe options. "Dams across the country are aging, and also facing pressures from urban sprawl and intensifying floods wrought by climate change," reports Madeline Heim of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "The price tag to fix what’s broken, though, is estimated in the hundreds of billions of dollars, meaning dam owners could face hard questions about what to do with them."

The rural town of Viroqua, Wisconsin, is grappling with the impending failure of its "50-foot earthen dam, locally known as 'Maple Dale,'" Heim writes. Currently, other Wisconsin communities face the same dam problems. "Local officials are voting on whether to dismantle the dams by cutting large notches in them, allowing the water to flow again, in a process called decommissioning. Experts say it could be the most dams ever decommissioned in a single county in the U.S."

Across the country, more communities are or will soon face the problems caused by aging dams. "In the American Society of Civil Engineers’ latest Infrastructure Report Card, released in 2021, the group gave the nations’ more than 91,000 dams a “D.” That’s largely because of their age — the average age of a dam in the U.S. is over 60 years old," Heim writes. "On top of that, climate change is leaving question marks about how dams will perform under new weather conditions."

No matter which option officials choose -- repair or removal--there are steep expenses involved. "The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed in 2021, provided somewhat of a shot in the arm: $3 billion was earmarked for dam safety, including $118 million for the rehabilitation of the USDA watershed program dams," Heim reports. Lori Spragens, executive director of the Association of State Dam Safety Officials, told Heim, "I think we are going to see more dams under stress, or even failing. It’s not really fun to look at in the future.”

A group of 10 states wants to create a compact to protect the Mississippi River

Aerial view of the Mississippi River near Guttenberg, Iowa.
(Photo by Drake White-Bergey, Wisconsin Watch via WWNO)

The Mississippi River, one of the biggest jewels in America's geography crown, has provided many of the country's commerce and water needs for centuries. Now, the river is stressed by weather extremes and is being considered by drought-stricken Western states as a possible solution for their water shortages.

Historically, the Mississippi has lacked a governance, but given its vital importance to trade and dams, some states are working to create a new framework. "A coalition of Mississippi River mayors wants a 10-state compact that would establish collective management of the waterway," reports Keely Brewer, WWNO, which serves New Orleans. "At the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative's annual meeting, about 30 mayors unanimously voted in favor of pursuing a compact that would span more than 2,300 miles of river. It's the first step of what could be a lengthy process."

The group would provide an "overall management structure." MRCTI's executive director, Colin Wellenkamp, said, "A compact among the core states bordering the river would be a way to think about river management at the watershed scale, from the headwaters in Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico, and coordinate during events affecting the whole river, like drought and flooding," Brewer writes. "A compact could provide legal protections for Mississippi River resources, such as the vast amount of water the river drains from 31 states and two Canadian provinces."

Mark Davis is the director of Tulane University's Institute on Water Resources Law and Policy in New Orleans, which studies Mississippi River management issues. Brewer reports, "Davis likened the water in the Mississippi River to a baton in a relay race; management changes with each of the 10 states it flows past, not including the other 21 states that feed into the river. . . . As parched states in the West grapple with drought and water scarcity, there have been renewed efforts to pump Mississippi River water west. But Wellenkamp said their concern lies with 'anyone that wants to put a straw in the Mississippi,' not just western states."

"The mayors are looking to the Great Lakes Compact as a model. In that region, eight states and two Canadian provinces established principles for water management and a requirement to notify and consult other members before diverting large amounts of water.” Getting the Great Lakes states to agree to a "shared vision" has presented a challenge, but Davis said "They agreed on something fundamental: they didn't want their water sent to just anyone with a checkbook," Brewer adds. 

"Wellenkamp said a Mississippi River compact would be similar to the Great Lakes agreement in terms of geographic scope, and he likes that it isn't overly prescriptive. But he said there's a key difference: they're trying to develop a Mississippi River compact in the face of severe climate threats." Davis told Brewer: "We are highly motivated by recent disasters and highly motivated by recent climate impacts that the Great Lakes did not have."

U.S. dams are aging and not made to withstand new climate extremes, increasing the risk of disastrous failures

Flood waters approached the top of the Wrightsville Dam near
Montpelier, Vt. (Montpelier police photo via The Boston Globe)

Often overlooked and mostly old, dams provide drinking water, energy and transportation across the U.S., and as the recent flooding in Vermont showed, many need repair and updates that take weather extremes into account. "Heavy rainfall in the Northeast on June 9-11, 2023, generated widespread flooding," writes Hiba Baroud for The Conversation, a journalism platform for academics. "One major concern was the Wrightsville Dam, built in 1935 on the Winooski River north of Vermont's capital city, Montpelier. The reservoir behind the dam rose to within 1 foot of the dam's maximum storage capacity, prompting warnings that water could overtop the dam and worsen already-dangerous conditions downstream or damage the dam. . . . There are more than 91,000 dams across the U.S., in all 50 states, with diverse designs and purposes. . . . The average dam is 60 years, and more than 8,000 dams are over 90 years old."

Besides age, climate change adds another reason for dam fortification. "Compounding the risk in ways that are not yet fully understood are the intensifying rains brought about by a warming planet. Warmer temperatures mean more water in the air and a roiled atmosphere that brings both periods of drought and the potential for deluge," reports Sabrina Shankman of The Boston Globe. Baroud reports: "Designing new dams and upgrading existing infrastructure will need to be based on updated design procedures that consider future climate projections. . . . While older dams aren't necessarily unsafe, they were constructed following outdated design standards and construction procedures and for different environmental conditions. That influences the likelihood and consequences of their failure during disasters."

The U.S. receives an "infrastructure report card" from the American Society of Civil Engineers every four years. "The most recent report card estimates that 70% of U.S. dams will be more than 50 years old by 2030," Baroud reports. "Overall, the report gave U.S. dams a 'D' grade and estimated that more than 2,300 high-hazard potential dams – those that could cause loss of life or serious property damage if they fail, based on the level of development around them – lacked emergency action plans. . . . Decommissioning or replacing dams can be complicated and cost-prohibitive. Regularly maintaining and upgrading older dams can be a cost-effective way to strengthen them and make them resilient to natural hazards."

While overtopping is the number one cause of dam failure, overall structural integrity is influenced by "how long water flows over a dam and the volume of water. . . its purpose, size and location," Baroud explains. "If a dam is designed for flood protection and is surrounded by homes, businesses or critical infrastructure, a large uncontrolled release of water could be catastrophic."

Removal of Klamath River dams closer to being a reality

Klamath Falls Herald & News map, adapted by The Rural Blog

After 15 years of planning, four Klamath River dams in California and Oregon have been approved for removal by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, in the nation's largest dam removal project.

"Following formal acceptance of the license transfer by the states and the Klamath River Renewal Corp., parties led by the KRRC will begin pre-construction steps in 2023 to lay the groundwork to complete removal of the dams," reports Lee Juillerat of the Herald & News in Klamath Falls, Oregon.

Native American tribes "argued that the river’s natural flows must be restored to improve the health of species, including salmon, steelhead and lamprey, as well as to address environmental impacts like toxic blue-green algae blooms," reports Jennifer Yachnin of Energy & Environment News.

Native American tribal secretary Roberta Frost told Juillerat “These dams have kept the Klamath Tribes from one of our traditional foods, c’iyaals (salmon), for over a hundred years. The Klamath Tribes once relied upon thousands of pounds of c’iyaals from upper basin rivers for not just subsistence but for good health. The return of these fish will lead directly to both improved mental and physical health among our people.”

The opposing view was voiced by the Klamath Water Users Association, which uses reservoir water to irrigate farmlands in Klamath, Siskiyou and Modoc counties in California. It said, "We are disillusioned, but not so much by the fact that the dams will be removed. . . We have kept our commitment to stay out of the way of parties that prioritize dam removal. Rather, we are disillusioned and disappointed that so many parties have turned their backs on the Klamath Basin agricultural community, and failed to honor reciprocal commitments made to producers in 2016. . . parties to the Amended Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement failed to keep commitments to negotiate in good faith to put in place a new water agreement."

The snail darter, a small fish that became focus of big conservation fight, goes off the threatened-species list

A snail darter (Tennessee Valley Authority photo)

The snail darter, a small fish native to the Southeast that was the focus of an initial major battle over the Endangered Species Act, is no longer considered imperiled by federal authorities.

In the 1970s, the new law was put to the test when the last known habitat for the endangered fish was determined to be on a portion of the Little Tennessee River that was about to be flooded by a new Tennessee Valley Authority dam.

A lawsuit followed and construction of the Tellico Dam stopped as the case made its way to the Supreme Court, which sided with advocates for the fish, reports Travis Loller of The Associated Press. The conflict "was portrayed as environmental extremists versus economic realists; in reality, the Tellico Dam was quite small and unneeded to generate electricity." It was eventually built after Congress exempted the dam from the law with a rider on an appropriations bill. But prior to construction, biologists collected the fish and transplanted them to other rivers, and later they were discovered in other streams. Three years ago, biologists petitioned for the fish's removal from federal protection since its population has adequately recovered. It left the list Tuesday.

Snail darters are members of the perch family, and grow to be about 3.5 inches long while eating mainly snails. The Department of the Interior said the snail darter is the fifth fish species, and first in the eastern U.S., to be delisted because of population recovery.   

“There are a lot of people who don’t believe in the Endangered Species Act,” said Jim Williams, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist who first listed the fish as endangered. “That say, ‘You know, this is like 'Hotel California'; you can check in, but you can never leave.’ And it’s like, ‘No, you can leave. You just got to get recovered before you leave. And the Endangered Species Act is a vehicle to do that.”

Army Corps starting program to help repair unsafe dams

Eight years ago, Congress created a fund for federally backed loans to repair risky dams. This month, the Army Corps of Engineers finally published proposed regulations for the program, reports David A. Lieb of The Associated Press.

"The Corps’ National Inventory of Dams lists more than 92,000 structures across the U.S., most of which are privately owned," Lieb notes. "The safety of the nation’s dams has garnered increased public scrutiny in recent years, in part because of high-profile failures that forced the evacuation of thousands of residents in Michigan and California."

Lieb notes AP's recent census of more than 2,200 dams in poor or unsatisfactory condition that are classified as high-hazard, meaning failure "likely would unleash a flood killing at least one person," he writes. "That figure was up substantially from a similar AP analysis three years earlier."

The average U.S. dam is 61 years old, and many pose more risk than when they were build because of downstream development. Also, "A changing climate with intense rainstorms has strained some dams beyond their original designs," Lieb reports. "Maintenance also has been deferred, often because dam owners lack the money to pay for it. The Association of State Dam Safety Officials estimates it could cost nearly $76 billion to rehabilitate the almost 89,000 dams owned by individuals, companies, community associations, states, local governments and other entities besides the U.S. government.

The new federal loan program, which makes more than $7 billion in guarantees available, “puts a pretty good dent in the existing need,” Aaron Snyder, interim director of the Corps’ Water Infrastructure Financing Program, told Lieb, who notes, "Most states don’t have grant or loan programs specifically targeted for repairing dams." Congress authorized the Corps program in 2014 but didn't fund it until December 2020, Lieb reports: "It got a big funding boost from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act signed by President Joe Biden last November."

Quick hits: Statewide News Collective launched; how to grow huge tomatoes; tips for buying and selling rural land

Here's a roundup of stories with rural resonance; if you do or see similar work that should be shared on The Rural Blog, email us at heather.chapman@uky.edu.

The Statewide News Collective, a new consortium for news organizations that serve statewide audiences or sometimes cover statewide issues, has just launched. Read more here.

Many of the nation's dams need repair. Retrofitting some to produce hydroelectric power could help the nation become more energy-independent while strengthening infrastructure. Read more here.

Want to grow huge tomatoes this summer? Here are seven tips for how to do it. Read more here.

A study shows California's record-breaking wildfire season may be the new normal. Read more here.

If you're buying or selling rural land this year, here's some tips on how to get the best return on your investment. Read more here.

Infrastructure bill has provisions for abandoned mine and well reclamation, dangerous dam removal, and more

The infrastructure package the Senate passed Tuesday has plenty in it for rural America. The Rural Blog has previously reported on this, but some parts of the huge bill are still coming to light. 

The package allocates $11.3 billion to help clean up abandoned mines, nearly double the $6 billion the Abandoned Mine Reclamation Fund has received in the past 15 years (see p. 1776 of the bill) but short of the estimated $20 billion (click here for state estimates) needed for total clean-up costs.

The package also has $4.7 billion for plugging and reclaiming abandoned oil and gas wells on federal, state and tribal lands (p. 1744). States can apply for competitive grants of up to $25 million for the purpose. Well and mine operators must post bonds meant to cover clean-up costs, but they're often inadequate, and rural governments are frequently stuck with the bill when companies go under.

The mine funding will be spread over 15 years and will go to 25 states and three tribes: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Wyoming, and the Crow, Hopi and Navajo.

Dam safety also gets attention in the bill: It creates and funds a $553 million grant program for hydroelectric dam owners to make them safer and more efficient. And it would provide $1.6 billion for government agencies to remove dangerous dams. 

The package calls on the Transportation Department's Build America Bureau to establish a Rural and Tribal Assistance Pilot Program to provide technical, financial and legal assistance to rural and tribal governments' infrastructure projects. The pilot program is meant to last five years, and is funded as follows: $1.6 million for fiscal year 2022, $1.8 million for FY 2023, $2 million for FY 2024, $2.2 million for FY 2025, and $2.4 million for FY 2026.

Investigation finds more than 80 dams could flood communities with toxic waste if they failed

Where a dam failure would pose a significant risk to communities due to toxic waste sites, according to Undark analysis

An investigation has identified more than 80 dams in 24 states that could flood local areas with toxic waste if they failed. The risks these dams pose to toxic waste sites are mostly unrecognized by government agencies, according to interviews with dam safety, environmental and emergency officials, leaving communities nationwide vulnerable to such disasters, James Dinneen and Alexander Kennedy report for Undark.

Read more here.

Report: economy could grow at fastest rate in 40 years, with agriculture sharing in the recovery

American farmers are sharing in a robust economic recovery from the pandemic, according to the most recent quarterly CoBank report. The GDP could grow by 7 percent in 2021, its fastest rate since 1984, the report projects. 

"Many in the agricultural industry are experiencing the best market conditions since 2013," says the report. "Prices are hovering near multiyear highs as strong exports and dwindling supplies have solidified a healthy outlook for much of the farm economy."

The Agriculture Department has projected record exports of $157 billion in 2021, a 16% increase from last year, and overall farm income is predicted to be 20% higher than its 10-year average as farmers bring in more revenue and rely less on direct federal aid, the report says.

Fertilizer prices have almost doubled from a year ago, and "financially strong" farmers are planning to plant 3% more corn, soybean and wheat, which should bring more business to farm supply retailers. But drought remains a concern in a few parts of the Upper Midwest, according to the report.

President Biden's $2 trillion infrastructure package could prove transformative to the long-term rural economy if approved, since it would bring hundreds of billions of dollars to expand and upgrade the electrical grid, water systems, broadband connection, and strengthen more traditional infrastructure such as roads, bridges and dams, wrote CoBank vice president Dan Kowalski.

New toolkit aims to help rural areas better access infrastructure grants

Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao announced this week an initiative aimed at helping rural communities get more grant money for infrastructure projects. The Rural Opportunities to Use Transportation for Economic Success (ROUTES) initiative includes an online toolkit to help more easily find and complete applications for infrastructure project grants.

"While only 19 percent of the U.S. population lives in rural areas, 45% of all roadway fatalities and 34% of all public highway-rail grade crossing fatalities occur on rural roads, and the fatality rate on rural roads is two times higher than on urban roads," Rhonda Brooks reports for Farm Journal's Ag Professional.

Owners of failed dam in rural Michigan bought it as a tax shelter, ignored needed fixes to save money

An explosive new report underlines the difficulty of regulating private dams, which make up about 64 percent of the nation's 91,000 dams.

Last week, the 95-year-old Edenville Dam in rural Michigan failed after heavy rains, forcing thousands of residents downstream to evacuate. The disaster put a spotlight on the nation's crumbling dam system, especially the fact that it's more difficult for regulators to force private dam owners to make needed repairs.

The Edenville Dam's owners, it turns out, had bought the dam and three others nearby in 2006 as a tax shelter, then fought with regulators for years to avoid having to pay for repairs, taxes, or upgrades to make the dam safer, Mike Wilkinson, Kelly House and Riley Beggin report for Bridge, a nonpartisan, nonprofit Michigan newsroom.

Heirs to William Boyce, a Chicago newspaper publisher and founder of the Boy Scouts of America, managed the fortune as trustees of the William D. Boyce Trusts. In 2006 they decided to reinvest money from the sale of an Illinois property so they wouldn't have to pay $600,000 in capital gains taxes to the Internal Revenue Service, Bridge reports. The two lead trustees, Las Vegas architect Lee Mueller and his cousin Michel d'Avenas came up with the notion to buy four hydroelectric dams near Midland under the name Boyce Hydro Power LLC, which Mueller manages. They took out loans to pay the $4.8 million for the dams.

"In the 14 years that have followed, Mueller and the trust have clashed repeatedly with state officials, federal regulators, local homeowners and even fishermen," Bridge reports.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission told Mueller and previous owners since at least 1993 that the Edenville Dam needed to have its flood capacity increased or it could fail. Last week's "flood came 1½ years after federal regulators terminated Boyce Hydro’s license to generate power at the Edenville Dam, citing decades of failures to fix spillways that can prevent flooding," Bridge reports.

Mueller's attorney told Bridge that Mueller would have liked to make the repairs, but didn't have the money. According to Boyce Trust records filed in court, the dams have lost money every year since at least 2016, Bridge reports.

"Residents who live on lakes surrounding the dams are dubious about the pleas of poverty and accuse Mueller and the Boyce Trust of being absentee owners who for years didn’t invest in repairs," Bridge reports.

Failure of 95-year-old dam in rural Michigan draws fresh attention to the nation's crumbling dam infrastructure

Water breaches the Edenville Dam in Michigan on Wednesday, May 20. (CNN photo by Sarah Tilotta)

Thousands of Michigan residents were forced to flee their homes yesterday evening after heavy rains caused the Edenville Dam to fail. The hydroelectric dam unleashed so much water down the Tittabawassee River that the 2,600-acre Wixom Lake essentially drained itself and breached the nearby Sanford Dam as well, Paul Murphy reports for CNN. Most of Midland, a city of 41,000 downstream, was told to evacuate.

The incident highlights the poor condition of many of the nation's dams, and the difficulty of regulating privately owned dams. According to the National Inventory of Dams, the Edenville and Sanford dams are both privately owned by Boyce Hydro Power LLC ; both were built in 1925, and both were last inspected on June 26, 2018, and rated as a high hazard to the public if they fail.

About 64 percent of the nation's 91,000 dams are privately owned, which can make them trickier to regulate. It's difficult for "regulators to require improvements from operators who are unable or unwilling to pay the steep costs," David Lieb, Michael Casey, and Michelle Minkoff report for The Associated Press.

Another problem is that the nation's dams are aging: 69% were built before 1970, and 17.1% are high-hazard. The Association of State Dam Safety Officials estimates that it would take more than $70 billion to modernize the nation's dams, the AP reports.

Federal Emergency Management Agency map, based on U.S. Army Corps of Engineers data

Trump administration proposal would nix federal environmental reviews for most construction projects

"The Trump administration on Thursday unveiled significant changes to the nation’s landmark environmental law that would make it easier for federal agencies to approve infrastructure projects without considering climate change," Emma Newburger reports for CNBC. The administration has argued that the overhaul is necessary to help businesses grow and protect jobs.

Under the White House Council on Environmental Quality's proposed changes to the 50-year-old National Environmental Policy Act, construction projects that don't have major government funding would no longer require any kind of federal environmental review. The category of NEPA-exempt projects would also be expanded, Newburger reports.

Response to the proposal was sharply divided. Business groups lauded it because they say the law has delayed or blocked projects like oil pipelines, dams, mines, and more. Environmentalists said the changes would hurt wildlife and put more greenhouse gases into the air, Newburger reports. 

"The move is the latest effort by the Trump administration to roll back a slew of environmental regulations in place to curb greenhouse gas emissions and protect natural habitats from drilling and development," Newburger reports. "The changes are expected to be published in the Federal Register on Friday. There will be a 60-day comment period and two open hearings before the final regulation is delivered." If approved, the proposed changes would be the first major overhaul to the rules in more than 40 years. Lawsuits are expected.