This is beyond understanding!
30 years ago ( maybe 32 or 33), a dam retaining coal mining refuse slide down the valley pushed by tons of water and sludge, killing several families, in WVA, KY or TN, or somewhere close. http://www.pww.org/article/articleview/763/Another failure was the Grand Teton Dam failure, at about the same time. (http://www.usbr.gov/pn/about/Teton.html )Those tragedies triggered a nation-wide investigation of all small dams in the country. The investigation was run by the Army Corps of Engineers. It also resulted in new regulations regarding the construction of small dams throughout the country. I was involved in several of these investigations, and remediations on dams in the MD area, including coal mining areas in VA.. We found the trees had been allowed to grow on the slopes of many earthen dams, weakening them. Also many small dams had not ever been engineered--they were simply built.
It was a boon to my industry --geotechnical engineering. But after the initial investigations the program just sort of died. MD instituted new small dam design requirements, but surrounding rural areas seemed to just go back to business-as-usual.
Politicians do not want to use tax money for "invisible" jobs like infrastructure. A new bridge or highway gets funded, but basic infrastructure isn't very sexy. ( I cannot see how the construction of the "Lexus" toll lanes on I 95 around Baltimore can ever be made to pay for the tremendous costs of construction.-They would have to charge dollars per vehicle mile to recoup the costs). I guess its the same story as the NOLA levies. but on a national level.
I am encouraged to hear the President-Elect talk about increased spending on basic infrastructure. I only hope it actually results in actual work; not some egghead studies ( apologies to eggheads). With the down-turn in housing starts over the last few years, spending on small dam safety, sewer, and water system, and bridge remediation will provide for jobs in the civil engineering sector, and allow me to call back to work some good people.

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1982 300SD " Wotan" ..On the road as of Jan 8, 2007 with Historic Tags