Dams in the United States may be in worse condition than previously understood. More than 16,700 dams across the country are classified as high hazard potential as of 2024, according to the Association of State Dam Safety Officials. Over 2,500 of these dams are in poor condition. But with newly utilized radar technology, scientists at Virginia Tech are revealing dams across the United States that may have crumbling infrastructure hidden from view of safety inspectors. … What they found was shocking to them: Many dams that should have been stabilized were still sinking, potentially impacting the dam’s structure.