"Aging And Underfunded: America's Dam Safety Problem, In 4 Charts"

"There are more than 87,000 dams in America and, like most infrastructure, they go largely unnoticed — until something goes wrong.

That was the case in and around South Carolina's capital this week, when at least 20 dams collapsed during catastrophic floods.

The number of dam breaches was rare. But to experts who monitor dam safety in America, it wasn't entirely surprising. In its most recent Report Card for America's Infrastructure, the American Society of Civil Engineers gave the state of America's dams a "D," in part because about 4,000 dams in the country are in need of repairs — and about half of those deficient dams could cost lives if they were to fail."

Jessica Pupovac reports for NPR October 11, 2015.

SEE ALSO:

"NICAR Makes Data on South Carolina Dams Available for Free" (IRE/NICAR)

"National Inventory of Dams" (IRE/NICAR)