Dam Safety Day Next Week

May 31, 2011 is National Dam Safety Awareness Day, marking the 122th anniversary of the 1889 South Fork Dam failure above Johnstown, Pennsylvania, the worst dam disaster in United States history. Closer to home in the Pacific Northwest, are the Willow Creek Dam failure which almost destroyed the town of Heppner, Oregon on June 14, 1903 and the June 5, 1976 Teton Dam failure in Idaho. The Teton Dam failure sent 20 billion gallons of water spilling down Teton Canyon towards Willford, Teton, Sugar City, Rexburg, Roberts and Idaho Falls, causing over $2 billion in damages and contributing to the deaths of eleven people.

The 2010 National Inventory of Dams (NID) lists more than 84,000 dams in the United States, including 14,000 that have been designated by their state as "high-hazard dams." According to FEMA Regional Administrator Ken Murphy, dam safety issues cross local, state and even national borders, and people who live downstream need to be aware of the risks associated with dams, and understand their local government's evacuation plans.