As floods drench New York, Vermont and beyond, an aging dam system faces a critical test

Cecilia Garzella and Yoonserk Pyun, USA TODAY
·2 min read
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As floods strike the Northeast, rising water and aging dams could become an increasingly dangerous combination.

In Vermont, where the biggest floods have been reported, officials are warning of dams nearing capacity.

Of the 363 dams in Vermont, more than half are classified as high- or significant-hazard, meaning that if they fail, they’re likely to cause deaths, property damage or economic loss, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' National Inventory of Dams.

River levels

Purple indicates major flooding, red is moderate flooding and orange is minor flooding. Check back often because map updates several times a day. Source: U.S. Geological Survey

Of those dams that present a hazard to lives and property, 62 are also considered in poor condition, meaning they're in need of repairs. In Rutland County, the second-most populous county in Vermont, half the dams would kill or cause property damage if they were to break.

Vermont dams

Orange dams are the ones in poor condition. Click on a dam to see its hazard rating. High means the dam is likely to kill people if it breaks, significant means it is likely to cause property damage. Source: National Inventory of Dams

Other states including Maine, New Hampshire and New York have also experienced severe flash floods, putting these areas at risk if their high-hazard dams fail. Severe flooding in New York’s Hudson Valley left at least one person dead and several missing.

The condition of about 70% of Maine’s 581 total dams and New York’s 1,873 total dams are unavailable. Some states do not report all dam conditions through the National Inventory of Dams. According to the Associated Press, the U.S. Corps of Engineers allows federal agencies and states to restrict the release of information about the dams they oversee, and some continue to do so, citing terrorism concerns.

More rain, aging dams: See where climate change is sending more frequent downpours near dams that can kill or destroy if they fail.

In a previous investigation, USA TODAY found about 7,000 unrated dams nationally that would put people or property in danger if they fail and are in areas where rainfall is rising significantly.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Flooding in Vermont, throughout the Northeast threatens aging dams