Of the 2,000 active dams in Colorado, 142 of them have failed their latest inspection according to FOX31’s Problem Solvers.
In the wake of the Orroville Dam crisis that displaced upwards of 200,000 people in California, dams across the country have come under more scrutiny. Are they safe? There are at least 580 dams in Colorado that have been operating for 100 years or more. Of these, 64 received an unsatisfactory rating, many in highly populated areas like the Baseline Northwest Dam in Boulder (est.1905). The Baseline Northwest Dam is one of 32 dams that received a high hazard unsatisfactory grade, meaning loss of life or significant damage is predicted in the event the dam fails. In most cases, dams that received high hazard grades were found to be located in densely populated areas. A team of inspectors routinely check Colorado’s dams, and is in place to alert dam owners to necessary repairs long before they fail. However, some of the private owners still struggle to comply with improvements. For both the Smith Dam in Lakewood and the Sanchez Dam upstream of San Luis, known seepage issues have repeatedly caused them to fail inspections.
To encourage compliance, engineers are capable of restricting water access until noted hazards have been corrected. Overall though, Chief of Colorado Dam Safety Bill McCormick says the status of Colorado’s dams are in good health, and even the ones who receive failing grades are far from deteriorating.
Do you live near a dam in Colorado? State inspection data can be found online - find out if the dam nearby you passed or failed.
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