Wisconsin is facing an increase in dam failures, as indicated by a recent report, highlighting the state’s vulnerability to stronger storms. According to the Wisconsin Policy Forum’s findings released on Thursday, the state has seen 34 dam failures between 2000 and 2023, making it the second state with the highest number of such incidents, following South Carolina. Alarmingly, over 80% of these failures, amounting to 28 instances, occurred since the beginning of 2018, with 18 of them taking place after 2020. Fortunately, no human casualties were reported as a result of these failures.
With over 4,000 dams in the state, Wisconsin boasts a diverse range of dams, from large hydroelectric structures to smaller earthen dams for farm ponds, owned by various entities including companies, individuals, government bodies, and utilities. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ National Inventory of Dams lists 1,004 dams in Wisconsin, with heights ranging from 6 feet to 92 feet, like the Flambeau dam on the Dairyland Reservoir in Rusk County. Among these, more than 200 dams are classified as having high hazard potential, suggesting that their failure could lead to loss of human lives.
Despite state funding of at least $4 million in every budget since 2009 for dam safety measures, the report warns that the increasingly frequent and severe extreme weather events triggered by climate change may present new challenges to Wisconsin’s dam infrastructure. The study compiled by the Wisconsin Policy Forum used data gathered by the Association of State Dam Safety Officials, shedding light on the urgent need for further action to safeguard the state’s dams and mitigate risks associated with their failures.