WICHITA, Kan. (AP) Nearly a century ago, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway built a large dam near Augusta to supply water for the steam locomotives that were then chugging across the dusty Kansas prairie.
Today the aging Santa Fe Lake Dam is considered a high-hazard dam because of its potential for the loss of life if it fails. An analysis by The Associated Press of dams across the country has found that it is among 26 in Kansas that are rated as high-hazard and in such poor shape that they are vulnerable to failure.
A two-year investigation by The Associated Press identified at least 1,680 high hazard dams across the country that are in poor or unsatisfactory condition.
Kansas has 6,205 dams, including 309 classified as high-hazard.
