GAO finds dam safety inspections lagging

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has a variety of dam safety responsibilities but has not consistently implemented them.

NRCS assists project sponsors—typically local governments—in designing, planning, constructing, and rehabilitating watershed dams. Sponsors are responsible for safely operating and maintaining dams according to federal, state, local, and tribal laws and regulations. NRCS’s responsibilities include (1) monitoring sponsors’ compliance with operation and maintenance requirements, and (2) maintaining a national data inventory of NRCS-assisted dams. However, NRCS has not consistently reviewed operation and maintenance agreements with sponsors every 5 years or monitored the timely completion of dam inspections. As a result, 32 percent of significant- and high-hazard dams within their evaluated lives were past their required inspection due date, as of August 2024.

In addition, key safety information NRCS collects—such as the condition of some dams—is missing or inaccurate. Without complete and accurate data, NRCS cannot ensure the safe operation and maintenance of dams across the country that help protect communities from flooding.

Read more at Government Accountability Office