The National Inventory of Dams (NID) provides structural information on dams in the United States, including some information from recent inspections.
Dams are included if they meet at least one of the following criteria:
- High hazard classification - loss of one human life is likely if the dam fails,
- Significant hazard classification - possible loss of human life and likely significant property or environmental destruction,
- Equal or exceed 25 feet in height and exceed 15 acre-feet in storage,
- Equal or exceed 50 acre-feet storage and exceed 6 feet in height.
For a reporter covering infrastructure or breaking news involving one of these structures, the NID is an important resource. Journalists have used the data to produce stories on aging infrastructure, emergency preparedness and lack of adequate dam inspections.
Data is available from both 2002 and 2013, based on periodic reports by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Provided in collaboration with Investigative Reporters and Editors