Dams Legacy of Neglect in Pennsylvania

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvanians living downstream may not often think about what could happen if something goes wrong with one of its many dams, but threats to life and property line the state’s 86,000 miles of streams and rivers. The state regulates nearly 3,400 Pennsylvania dams, of which about 740 are deemed “high hazard,” meaning a structural failure is likely to lead to loss of human life. State officials’ greatest concerns are focused on 145 high-hazard dams that are in poor or unsatisfactory condition.