dams

20 Stories

At This River, Officials Try to Turn Back the Clock 100 Years

Klamath River restoration project is a massive, $500M endeavor, involving removal of 4 dams

(Newser) - The largest dam removal project in US history is underway along the California-Oregon border—a process that won't conclude until the end of next year with the help of heavy machinery and explosives. But in some ways, removing the four dams is the easy part, per the AP . The...

Russia Denies It Blew Up Dam. New Evidence Suggests Otherwise

Drone pics, other info shows Russia had 'means, motive, and opportunity' to destroy Ukrainian dam

(Newser) - Russia had the means, motive, and opportunity to bring down a Ukrainian dam that collapsed earlier this month while under Russian control, per exclusive drone photos and information obtained by the AP . Images taken from above the Kakhovka dam and shared with the AP appear to show an explosives-laden car...

Government Official Orders Dam Drained to Find Lost Phone
Official Fined for Draining
Reservoir to Find Phone
in case you missed it
Jun 4, 2023 3:45 PM CDT

Official Fined for Draining Reservoir to Find Phone

State irrigation department in India orders Rajesh Vishwas to pay for wasted water

(Newser) - An official in India who drained a reservoir to search for his lost phone has to pay for the water as well as a new phone. Food inspector Rajesh Vishwas, who retrieved his $1,200 Samsung device but found it was unusable, has been fined the equivalent of around $640...

US' Largest-Ever Dam Removal Approved in the Name of Fish

Four dams to be removed from Klamath River on Oregon-California border by 2024

(Newser) - Federal regulators have given final approval for the largest dam removal project in US history at a cost of $500 million—for the purpose of helping endangered fish. For decades, Native American tribes have sought to restore the Klamath River, the route to spawning grounds for Chinook and endangered coho...

These Are the 'Ticking Time Bombs' of US Infrastructure

AP analysis finds that the number of dams in dangerous condition is on the rise

(Newser) - Constructed four generations ago, the massive rock and clay dam at El Capitan Reservoir is capable of storing over 36 billion gallons of water, enough to supply every resident in San Diego for most of a year. Today, it's three-quarters empty, intentionally kept low because of concerns it could...

9 Went Tubing on the River. Only 4 Have Come Back

3 tubers dead, 2 missing after they plunged over edge of dam in North Carolina's Dan River

(Newser) - A day on the water turned tragic in North Carolina, leaving three tubers dead and two missing after they plummeted over the edge of a dam. The Rockingham County Sheriff's Office says nine people in total started out Wednesday evening on the Dan River in the inflatable tubes, all...

After 2 Dams Fail, Mich. Gov. Warns of 9 Feet of Water

Whitmer urges thousands in affected areas of Midland County in Michigan to evacuate

(Newser) - Two dams have failed in a Michigan county, leading the state's governor to declare a state of emergency and issue dire warnings to residents to evacuate affected areas. AccuWeather reports that the Edenville and Sanford dams in Midland County breached Tuesday night after heavy rains and flash flooding, and...

He Died When the Dam Gave Way. More Could Share His Fate
He Died When
the Dam Gave Way.
More Could Share His Fate
investigation
Nov 10, 2019 2:50 PM CST

He Died When the Dam Gave Way. More Could Share His Fate

An AP investigation looks at the threat posed by aging US dams

(Newser) - On a cold morning last March, Kenny Angel got a frantic knock on his door. Two workers from a utility company in northern Nebraska had come with a stark warning: Get out of your house. Just a little over a quarter-mile upstream, the 92-year-old Spencer Dam was straining to contain...

At Least 15 Die After Dam Collapse at Gold Mine

A criminal investigation is now underway

(Newser) - At least 15 gold miners in a remote part of Siberia were killed Saturday when a dam collapsed on their encampment, per Russia's Ministry of Emergency Situations. Bloomberg and Reuters report that 13 people are still said to be missing after the early-morning calamity in the Krasnoyarsk region, which...

Brazil Dam Collapse Could Be Among Deadliest in 50 Years

Death toll in Brumadinho tragedy jumps to 58, with hundreds still missing

(Newser) - Officials in Brazil feared they'd find many more bodies after a dam collapse in Brumadinho on Friday. Those fears have been realized, with the death toll climbing from under a dozen to now nearly 60. Authorities have confirmed 58 people perished and up to 300 are still missing, and...

Sea of Mud and Waste Leaves 9 Dead, 300 Missing

Dam collapse devastates Brumadinho, Brazil

(Newser) - Rescuers in helicopters on Saturday searched for survivors in a huge area in southeastern Brazil buried by mud from the collapse of a dam holding back mine waste, with at least nine people dead and up to 300 missing. Nearly a full day since the disaster happened, finding many more...

SC Devastated Yet Again as 18 Dams Let Loose

Governor says it may just be start of crisis after 'storm of historic proportions'

(Newser) - Eleven deaths have been reported and at least 18 South Carolina dams have breached or failed completely since Saturday, per the state's emergency management agency, leaving the region reeling in the aftermath of its torrential weekend storm , CNN reports. Of the 11 deaths, seven were from drowning and four...

New Climate Change Culprit: Beavers
 New Climate Change 
 Culprit: Beavers 
study says
Dec 20, 2014 2:45 PM CST

New Climate Change Culprit: Beavers

Numbers are rising as dammed ponds release methane into atmosphere

(Newser) - We were just trying to help. Turns out the efforts of humankind to save beavers from extinction over the past century have had an eco-unfriendly side effect: The animals, whose population has rebounded, are contributing to climate change, researchers say at EurekAlert . Beaver dams create shallow ponds, which can host...

FBI Charges NOAA Worker With Swiping Data on Dams

Sherry Chen's arrest raises security concerns

(Newser) - A worker at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has been arrested and charged with stealing data on US dams, which Dayton Daily News reports carries "deep security implications" for the nation's power grid. Xiafen "Sherry" Chen has also been accused of lying to federal officials about...

Latest ISIS Weapon: Hijacking Iraq's Water
 ISIS' New Weapon: Water 
Oct 7, 2014 5:30 PM CDT

ISIS' New Weapon: Water

Insurgents commandeering precious commodity to strengthen position

(Newser) - Even when ISIS militants can't maintain control of Iraq's cities and villages, they have another weapon at their disposal: water. The insurgents are increasingly cutting off water to villagers, extorting local governments, and flooding homes, schools, and farms in an effort to gain the upper hand by usurping...

America, Tear Down Your Useless Dams
 America, Tear Down 
 Your Useless Dams 
OPINION
May 8, 2014 12:39 PM CDT

America, Tear Down Your Useless Dams

Yvon Chouinard: Removing them is much better than repairing them

(Newser) - American engineers have long loved their dams, but Yvon Chouinard writes in the New York Times that we should be tearing down these aging concrete behemoths instead of repairing them. Of the 80,000 or so dams in the nation, 26,000 pose serious safety hazards, he writes, and only...

Drying Euphrates Cripples Iraq

Turkish, Syrian dams, Iraqi practices blamed

(Newser) - Iraqis are suffering as the Euphrates river dwindles, a result of Turkish and Syrian dams upstream, a 2-year drought, and Iraqi’s own mismanagement of its water supply, the New York Times reports. Farmers and fishermen have been ruined and key grain-growing land desiccated. “The old men say it’...

Pacific Salmon Face Uncertain Tides

Oceanic changes doomed '08 crop, but scientists can't agree on what caused them

(Newser) - West Coast fisheries has seen a 90% drop in salmon spawn since 2004, and while many blame rivers degraded by dams and diversions, some experts believe the problem has been pushed out to sea, reports Salon. Wind direction and water temperature have changed, bringing less food to the ocean’s...

Burst Dams New Peril in Quake Aftermath

Flooding could hurt rescue efforts — or kill more, China warns

(Newser) - Chinese authorities are warning of possible flooding and further destruction caused by bursting dams in the aftermath of Monday's catastrophic earthquake, Reuters reports. "The most dangerous problems are several reservoirs near Wenchuan," about 30 miles northwest of the ruined city of Dujiangyan, one official said. The Zipingpu dam,...

Javanese Can't Stop the Mud
Javanese Can't Stop the Mud
Nov 29, 2007 9:31 PM CST

Javanese Can't Stop the Mud

1½-year-old deluge of mud keeps on flowing

(Newser) - A toxic mud volcano has been flowing on the Indonesian island of Java for 18 months, and authorities are stuck. Since an energy company opened an underground fissure while drilling for natural gas, 11 villages have been swamped by the ooze. Plugging the hole with air-dropped concrete balls and hiring...

20 Stories