In this historical photo from May 31, 1889, survivors stand by homes destroyed when the South Fork Dam collapsed in Johnstown, Pa. As officials prepare to commemorate the 125th anniversary of the enormous Johnstown Flood of 1889 that killed 2,209 people, new research has helped explain why the deluge was so deadly. (AP Photo)
Katie Meyer was WITF’s Capitol Bureau Chief from 2016-2020. While at WITF, she covered all things state politics for public radio stations throughout Pennsylvania. Katie came to Harrisburg by way of New York City, where she worked at Fordham University’s public radio station, WFUV, as an anchor, general assignment reporter, and co-host of an original podcast. A 2016 graduate of Fordham, she earned several awards for her work at WFUV, including four 2016 Gracies.
Katie is a native New Yorker, though she originally hails from Troy, a little farther up the Hudson River. She can attest that the bagels are still pretty good there.
WITF's Capitol Bureau Chief Desk is partially funded through generous gifts made in the memory of Tony May through the Anthony J. May Memorial Fund.
In this historical photo from May 31, 1889, survivors stand by homes destroyed when the South Fork Dam collapsed in Johnstown, Pa. As officials prepare to commemorate the 125th anniversary of the enormous Johnstown Flood of 1889 that killed 2,209 people, new research has helped explain why the deluge was so deadly. (AP Photo)
(Harrisburg) — Pennsylvania is home to a lot of old dams—many of which are privately owned.
The new numbers come from the Associated Press. After a two-year investigation, reporters found more than 1,600 dams around the country that could be susceptible to collapse.
The Dam Safety Division of Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection classifies dams as high-hazard if a failure could endanger peoples’ lives.
740 of the commonwealth’s dams are in that category. And of those, 145 are reportedly in poor or unsatisfactory condition.
One is the more than 120-year-old dam at Lake Scranton, which is holding 2.5 billion gallons of water close to the city. The private Pennsylvania American Water Company owns it, and has been working to get the structure in compliance with state regulations.
Pennsylvania is no stranger to dam disasters. The most infamous was the 1889 Johnstown flood that killed over 2,000 people.
These days, the commonwealth spends nearly $3 million annually on dam improvement—the second most in the country.
Democratic Governor Tom Wolf has proposed using money from a natural gas severance tax to route even more dollars to high-risk dams, though the GOP-controlled legislature hasn’t been receptive.
A collection of interviews, photos, and music videos, featuring local musicians who have stopped by the WITF performance studio to share a little discussion and sound. Produced by WITF’s Joe Ulrich.