Aging Dams and Flooding

in "Aging Dams Decay Storms Increase Danger," New York Times writer Mitch Smith discusses some of the broader challenges exemplified by the near failure of the Rapidan Dam in southern Minnesota, which occurred as the result of recent near-record flooding on the Blue Earth River.

The Rapidan Dam was completed in 1910 and Smith notes that the average age of dams in the U.S. is nearly 60 years old.  These dams are not built to current standards, but they are costly to repair or remove.  In a 2021 assessment, The American Society of Civil Engineers rated the U.S.'s system of 91,000 dams a "D." 

Smith writes that "Many catastrophic floods begin with dam failures..."