A recent investigative report into the state’s dam inspection process has brought to light serious safety concerns, but it seems no one wants to do anything about it.
Half of the high-hazard dams in the state ”“ those that could cause loss of life if they were breached ”“ are two to seven years overdue for their mandated inspection by a professional engineer, according to records provided to the Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting by the Maine Emergency Management Agency.
This deficiency is not only alarming, but also against the law. In 2001, the legislature passed a Dam Safety Law requiring inspection of high-hazard dams every two years and inspection of significant-hazard dams ”“ those expected to destroy only property or damage the environment ”“ every four years.
This schedule has not been met, and state officials have said it’s nearly impossible to meet with the current staffing level of dam inspectors at the Maine Emergency Management Agency. Only one person was employed in the position until last year, when one more person was hired.
With 93 dams that fall into these hazard categories and another 700 that also require regular inspections, it’s no surprise that we’ve been failing to meet our own timeline for inspections with only one inspector on duty.
Now that a second inspector has been added, however, we believe it could be done.
Most government officials are saying we can’t afford to add inspectors, so it’s clear that we need to reprioritize the time of the inspectors we currently have.
With two inspectors working an estimated 49 weeks out of the year, assuming three weeks of paid time off, that’s 490 work days. That leaves a full work week to inspect and file a report on each of the 93 high-hazard and significant-hazard dams every year. Since those dams are on a two- or four-year schedule, that should leave enough time every year for inspection of the other 700 low priority dams on, say, a 10-year rotation.
With two inspectors and the help of local officials who are keeping an eye on their town’s dams every day, it seems perfectly feasible for MEMA to meet the letter of the law and assure that these structures are not putting anyone in danger.
Dams are an important matter of public safety, and there have been plenty of incidents worldwide where lives have been lost when a dam let go ”“ and Maine is no stranger to the type of flooding that can put a dam over the edge.
Making sure that these structures are maintained so the towns that lie in their fallout zone are safe should be a priority for MEMA. Rather than waiting for people to die and property to be destroyed when one of these dams gives way, the state should re-evaluate its procedure for inspections and enforcement.
Unfortunately, local officials and some at the state level have downplayed the importance of the inspections. Marcel Blouin, Sanford’s public property director, said he doesn’t think there are any problems with the 100-year-old Mill Street dam there, which hasn’t been inspected since 2003, despite its high-hazard designation. While that may be so, it’s still a state law for the dam to be inspected every two years.
Gov. Paul LePage should be stepping up to mandate that MEMA follow the existing law by reviewing its use of inspector’s time, but instead he has issued a statement that backpedals, noting how the agency has evacuation plans and is working to educate dam owners.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, however, and it’s simply not acceptable to have a high-hazard dam that has not been inspected for nearly a decade. We shouldn’t have to wait for people to die to do something about it.
If the state can’t figure out a way to have our two current inspectors get the job done, perhaps certifying local officials to inspect the low-priority dams would help. If not, hiring another person to aid with inspections would be money well spent.
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Today’s editorial was written by Managing Editor Kristen Schulze Muszynski on behalf of the Journal Tribune Editorial Board. Questions? Comments? Contact Kristen by calling 282-1535, Ext. 322, or via e-mail at kristenm@journaltribune.com.
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