California auditor warns dozens of dams remain in unsafe condition
As aging infrastructure faces the impending arrival of winter storms driven by El Niño, the California State Auditor warned that dozens of dams across the state remain in unsafe condition, threatening millions of residents in the San Francisco Bay Area, San Diego, and Los Angeles.
An audit published on Monday revealed that 57 dams across the state were in poor or unsatisfactory condition as of May, an increase from previous counts. State water officials anticipate that this number will continue to climb as inspections of older structures proceed.
Old Infrastructure Lacks Dedicated Maintenance Funds
The core challenge facing California’s water infrastructure is its age. Many facilities were constructed under much more lenient safety standards than those enforced today. State law has historically failed to require dam owners to set aside dedicated reserve funds for ongoing maintenance. When concrete deteriorates, sediment accumulates, or spillways face erosion from heavy floodwaters, the majority of private owners, local governments, and utilities lack the necessary capital to fund repairs.
However, responsibility for actual maintenance rests entirely with local agencies, public utilities, water districts, and private landowners. CalMatters noted that some of the specific structures currently listed in poor condition are owned directly by state agencies. Disasters are extremely rare, but when they occur, as in Oroville or the 1928 collapse of the nearly new St. Francis Dam northwest of Los Angeles, they can be catastrophic.
The 40 Most Hazardous Sites
The 40 riskiest dams—classified as high or extremely high hazard—are located throughout the state, but are clustered near densely populated coastal cities. According to the auditor’s report, if these dams failed, they “could endanger up to 1.5 million people and cause economic damage of more than 265 billion dollars.”
At the same time, the audit delivered sharp criticism regarding the department's failure to enforce compliance against owners who ignore safety mandates.
Staffing Shortages Hinder State Enforcement Powers
Following the 2017 Oroville spillway failure, which forced the evacuation of nearly 200,000 people, lawmakers granted the state the power to penalize dam owners who fail to meet safety requirements. These powers include placing restrictions on reservoirs, filing property liens, and levying financial fines.
State water managers told auditors they lacked sufficient staffing within their enforcement division and expressed concern over their ability to fund legal defenses during administrative hearings. The auditor concluded that even with adequate resources, current laws prevent the state from intervening proactively until a dam reaches a dangerous emergency stage, and noted that even if state water managers had exercised their enforcement powers, dam owners likely would not have been able to afford the repairs.