Friday, February 21, 2025, 11:58AM |  21°
MENU
Advertisement

Let's have no more Johnstown floods

Let's have no more Johnstown floods

We must do more to shore up our dams and keep them safe

The storm that approached Western Pennsylvania on the late spring morning of May 30, 1889, was unlike any ever recorded in the region. It brought 24 straight hours of rain, as much as 10 inches in some areas, according to the U.S. Signal Corps.

By the afternoon of May 31, the South Fork Dam could no longer hold back the rising waters of Lake Conemaugh. The dam burst, sending 20 million tons of water cascading downstream in a wave that measured up to 40 feet high — straight toward the unsuspecting citizens of Johnstown 14 miles below.

To this day, the Great Flood of 1889 remains the most devastating dam failure in U.S. history. More than 2,200 people were killed — one of the largest civilian death tolls ever on U.S. soil. Tomorrow, on the 125th anniversary of this staggering tragedy, we will commemorate National Dam Safety Awareness Day.

Advertisement

While no dam failure has been anywhere near as catastrophic as the one that occurred outside of Johnstown that late spring day 125 years ago, the potential for another such tragedy exists.

State dam-safety programs reported 173 dam failures and 587 dam incidents from January 2005 to June 2013. (A dam incident is defined as an episode that, without intervention, would likely have resulted in a dam failure.) In its 2013 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure, the American Society of Civil Engineers assigned U.S. dams an abysmal “D” grade.

There are dams in every state and more than 87,000 across the country. Almost every American enjoys the benefits of dams, which provide drinking water, hydroelectric power, flood control, irrigation and recreational opportunities. But we tend to ignore the risks associated with potential incidents and failures, which is evident in how little we spend and how we carry out policy on dam safety.

State governments regulate approximately 77 percent of the dams in the United States — 3,369 in Pennsylvania alone — but many state dam-safety programs lack the resources to adequately monitor and regulate their inventories. In fact, two states have more than 1,000 dams for each full-time employee in their regulatory programs. (In Pennsylvania, there are approximately 123 dams for each full-time employee.)

Advertisement

Furthermore, the number of high-hazard-potential dams in the United States increased to 11,300 in 2012 from 9,281 in 1998. This classification indicates that a dam likely would cause loss of life if it were to fail. The increase in high-hazard-potential dams is largely due to continuing development and population growth downstream from dams. This number is expected to keep rising.

In Pennsylvania, of the 3,369 state-regulated dams, 776 are classified as high-hazard- potential — an increase from 737 in 1998. According to the National Inventory of Dams, there are 123 high-hazard-potential dams in the counties surrounding Pittsburgh.

To protect people who live downstream from dams, state dam-safety programs and local emergency management officials work with dam owners to prepare and update emergency action plans. These plans help save lives by putting important safety and evacuation procedures in place before an emergency occurs.

The Association of State Dam Safety Officials advocates that every high-hazard-potential dam have an emergency action plan. Unfortunately, nearly one-third of state-regulated high-hazard-potential dams do not have adequate plans in place.

There are also steps that members of the public can take to ensure their own safety. People can determine if they live in a dam-failure flood-inundation zone by contacting their state dam-safety program or local emergency management agency. The Association of State Dam Safety Officials also recommends that people who live near dams familiarize themselves with evacuation routes, make sure all family members know what to do in the event of an emergency and prepare an emergency kit.

Fortunately, good planning and improved dam-safety programs at all levels of government have dramatically reduced the loss of life resulting from dam failures in recent years. Together, we can make sure that a disaster like the South Fork Dam failure never happens again and create a future in which all dams are safe.

Tom Woosley is president of the Association of State Dam Safety Officials and is program manager of Georgia’s Safe Dams Program.

First Published: May 30, 2014, 4:00 a.m.

RELATED
SHOW COMMENTS (0)  
Join the Conversation
Commenting policy | How to Report Abuse
If you would like your comment to be considered for a published letter to the editor, please send it to letters@post-gazette.com. Letters must be under 250 words and may be edited for length and clarity.
Partners
Advertisement
Longtime KDKA-TV host Jon Burnett on May 22, 2019.
1
a&e
Jon Burnett, long a KDKA-TV staple, leaves legacy of ‘putting good out into the world’
The Breezewood Interchange is dotted with gas stations, chain restaurants and souvenir shops. The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission has selected Chicago-based Alfred Benesch and Company to spearhead a major redesign of the notorious roadway.
2
business
So long, Breezewood: Chicago firm selected to redesign infamous Pa. Turnpike interchange
Commerce Secretary nominee Howard Lutnick speaks after President Donald Trump signed an executive order in the Oval Office on Feb. 13.
3
news
Trump expected to take control of USPS, fire postal board, officials say
Saraswati Adhikari and her family, not pictured, work with attorneys Jillian Lukac, Elizabeth Tuttle, and Larry Lebowitz to fill out paperwork to become United States citizens during a volunteer event organized by Jewish Family and Community Services Immigration Legal Services and the Bhutanese Community Association of Pittsburgh, Saturday, Feb. 23, 2019, at the Whitehall Public Library in Whitehall.
4
news
Allegheny County will kick in $224,000 for refugee settlement services after federal funds are cut off
Police investigate the scene of a double shooting in Pittsburgh's Garfield neighborhood on Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025.
5
news
Suspect at-large after 2 shot and killed, toddler unharmed in car in Garfield
Advertisement
LATEST opinion
Advertisement
TOP
Email a Story