The Dam Rehabilitation and Repair Act (S. 732/H.R. 1770) has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives and the United States Senate, legislation that would provide funds to repair the nation's ailing publicly owned non-federal dams.

ASCE members should contact their Representative and Senators and encourage them to cosponsor this much needed legislation.

BACKGROUND - Dams in Need of Repair
ASCE's 2009 Report Card for America's Infrastructure gives the condition of our nation's dams a grade of D, equal to the overall infrastructure grade. State dam safety programs have identified more than 4,095 "unsafe" dams, which have deficiencies that leave them more susceptible to failure, especially during large flood events or earthquakes. The number of unsafe dams will continue to increase until a funding source is created to repair them.

The Association of State Dam Safety Officials estimates that $50 billion is needed to rehabilitate all dams across the nation, and $12 billion is needed over the next 10 years to address the most critical dams, both public and private, that pose a direct risk to human life should they fail. Needed repairs to publicly owned dams are estimated at $8.7 billion.

ASCE has worked with members of Congress to draft legislation that would begin to address these problems. The Dam Rehabilitation and Repair Act as proposed would provide up to $200 million over five years to address deficiencies in the nation's publicly owned non-federal dams. Major features of the bill include:

* Establishment of a program within the Federal Emergency Management Agency to fund dam rehabilitation and repairs.
* Enactment of a public fund to award grants for assistance to repair unsafe dams that are publicly-owned (state and local dams).
* Authorization of appropriation levels that will help rehabilitate publicly owned non-federal deficient dams.

For additional information, visit the Association of State Dam Safety Officials' website at http://www.damsafety.org (external link) or the Dam Safety Coalition at http://www.damsafetycoalition.org (external link)

H.R. 1770 currently has nine cosponsors in addition to original sponsor Rep. John Salazar:
Rep. Jason Altmire (D-PA)
Rep. Shelley Berkley (D-NV)
Rep. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV)
Rep. Jim Costa (D-CA)
Rep. Jim Gerlach (R-PA)
Rep. Frank LoBiondo? (R-NJ)
Rep. Betsy Markey (D-CO)
Rep. Todd Platts (R-PA)
Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV)
Rep. Charles Wilson (D-OH)
    • If your Representative is on this list, please be sure to amend the sample message and thank him/her for the support!**

S. 732 currently has six cosponsors in addition to original sponsor Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-HI):
Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH)
Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD)
Sen. Robert Casey, Jr. (D-PA)
Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY)
Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA)
Sen. George Voinovich (R-OH)
    • If your Senators are on this list, please be sure to amend the sample message and thank them for their support!**

For additional information, visit the Association of State Dam Safety Officials' website at http://www.damsafety.org (external link)

ACTION REQUESTED
Please contact your Senators and Representative and them to cosponsor the Dam Rehabilitation and Repair Act that has been introduced in their respective chamber - S. 732 in the U.S. Senate and H.R. 1770 in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Visit ASCE's "Click & Connect with Congress" advocacy website. From there you can read background information on the issue and draft a message to your legislators. Personal messages with local examples will receive the most attention from your lawmakers' offices. Please be sure to include in your message your experience as a civil engineer and any first-hand knowledge you can provide about dams in your area and/or state.

THANKS & FOLLOW-UP
Thanks for taking action! If you have any questions, contact the government relations department at or 202-789-7850.