Georgia has the highest concentration of high-risk and poor quality dams of any state

🦫 Georgia's dam infrastructure poses a threat to those living close by

Right now, this is a space to practice scrollytelling, but it will eventually be a fully-reported piece.

Below, you will see data from the National Inventory of Dams, which documents all of the known dams in the country.

Georgia is home to over 5,500 dams, the fifth-most in the country.

A closer look at the dams in Georgia

High-risk dams with a poor quality rating

Dams without a quality assessment

Other

High-risk dams with a poor quality rating

Dams without a quality assessment

Other

Georgia law requires assessments of dam safety and condition every few years. “High-risk” dams are ones where failure could result in one or more deaths, and “poor” condition means the dam is in need of maintenance in order to prevent failure.

Georgia has the highest concentration of high-risk, poor quality dams in the country. With over 200 of these dams, Georgia has 26 percent more than any other state.

But there is a bigger problem. Out of Georgia’s 5,533 dams, roughly 90 percent have not had their condition assessed since 2000.

A lack of funding and widespread confusion about dam ownership has led to a lapse in regulation statewide.