The Rapidan Dam on Minnesota’s Blue Earth River on June 26, after floodwaters inundated parts of the structure following days of heavy rainfall. The torrent of water pushing the Rapidan Dam to the brink of failure this week came from one of southern Minnesota’s wettest stretches on record. For the second time in five years, near-record floods pounded the century-old structure and clogged it with trees that died during intervening years of drought.
And what if the floods had overpowered a bigger dam, upstream of more people? Some in Minnesota and across the country said more must be done to prepare for that growing likelihood. And it fell on soil already saturated from months of wet weather, sending it coursing into streams and rivers. Even before the most recent storms, researchers at the University of Minnesota’s Southwest Research & Outreach Center measured more moisture in the soil than ever recorded, since at least 1966. Since April, much of southern Minnesota has experienced one of its top 10 wettest stretches on record, Boulay said.
Not only are existing dams and other infrastructure not built for such extremes, it’s even hard to keep guidelines for new projects in line with future climate projections, said Christine Kirchhoff, an associate professor of engineering design and innovation at Penn State University.“There’s got to be hundreds if not thousands of dams out there in similar situations,” Kirchhoff said.
But those risk calculations don’t consider how often heavy rains are falling, and how much more frequently a dam may now be hit with major or near-record storms. With some $3 billion in outstanding costs to rehabilitate dams around the country and heavier rainfall becoming more common, the stress on infrastructure could compound to create more crises like the one in Minnesota, said Lori Cannon Spragens, the dam safety association’s executive director.
More frequent floods, plus rising heat, lead to greater incidence of mold and mildew, adding to scarcity and costs in housing markets, as well as exacerbating risks to public health, especially in historically Black neighborhoods that are more likely to sit in floodplains, Chu said.
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