Facts and findings from "National Inventory of Dams"

The National Inventory of Dams reveals critical infrastructure vulnerabilities, with nearly half of flood deaths in Georgia linked to dam failures and a significant portion of U.S. dams lacking proper inspection, maintenance, and emergency preparedness measures.

Almost half of the people killed in the 1994 Georgia floods lived downstream from failed dams or dams that failed to operate properly. Nearly 20 percent of the nation's dams are over 50 years old. More than 2,000 of the country's dams have gone more than five years without inspection. One-third of the nation's most dangerous dams have no emergency action plan in place. Thirty-two percent of the dams in the inventory have a high or significant hazard potential. Only 35 percent of all dams rated as high-hazard have emergency action plans. Ninety-nine percent of the dams in the inventory are owned by municipal or private owners.