Inspection methods used to assess US dams have been questioned in the face of climate change, which has led to more frequent and intense flooding. The dams, which have an average age of 57 years, were built using a short history of hydrological data, while conditions and assumptions about what dams can tolerate have changed. In addition to the new study, researchers from Oregon State University published research on how dam failures affect water levels at Lake Mead that showed that even small changes in lake level could cause significant damage downstream.
Inspection methods used to assess US dams have been questioned in the face of climate change, which has led to more frequent and intense flooding. The dams, which have an average age of 57 years, were built using a short history of hydrological data, while conditions and assumptions about what dams can tolerate have changed. The Association of State Dam Safety Officials has estimated almost $71bn is needed to fix all dams that need repair, while the American Society of Civil Engineers claims $45bn is needed to repair dams which, if they failed, would pose a risk to human life.