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Opinion
Barry Ritholtz

Failing Dam Is a Symbol of U.S. Infrastructure

Decades of neglect and underinvestment are catching up with the country.
Potholes have gotten picky and now eat BMWs.

Potholes have gotten picky and now eat BMWs.

Photographer: Isabel Slepoy/NY Daily News/Getty images

The sorry state of American infrastructure is once again our focus. This time the peg is the Oroville Dam in California. It is the U.S.'s tallest dam, and it is in trouble. An emergency spillway was damaged, causing evacuation of 188,000 Californians.

State and federal officials ignored the warnings of environmental groups who for more than a decade have been asking them to reinforce the dam’s spillway.

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