Barry Ritholtz, Columnist

Failing Dam Is a Symbol of U.S. Infrastructure

Decades of neglect and underinvestment are catching up with the country.

February 16, 2017 at 7:15 PM UTC

Barry Ritholtz is a former Bloomberg Opinion columnist. He is chairman and chief investment officer of Ritholtz Wealth Management, and was previously chief market strategist at Maxim Group. He is the author of “Bailout Nation.”

Potholes have gotten picky and now eat BMWs.
Photographer: Isabel Slepoy/NY Daily News/Getty images

Provide news feedback or report an error

Site feedback:

Take our Survey

This article is for subscribers only.

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.