Dam Love Affair

Florida, home to 1,071 of the country’s dams and reservoirs, has had a century-long love affair with dams. Ninety-four of them are designated as “high hazard,” which the state Department of Environmental Protection defines as “likely” causing loss of human life and extensive property damage if the dam were to fail. The structures, many now aging, were built throughout the 20th century for many different purposes. But today, better understanding of the risks they pose to people and property, along with the ecological damage they can do, make their value less certain. Along with risks to human life and property, Florida’s dams and navigational locks can prove deadly to aquatic animals like manatees, which can be crushed, trapped or drowned in the structures. Is it time for Florida to end its love affair with dams?