LAKE HODGES (KGTV) — A state audit released Tuesday found more than 50 dams across California are in poor condition, with the failure of any of them posing a potential danger to hundreds of thousands of people and causing billions of dollars in property damage.
The Lake Hodges Dam is rated the worst dam in the state by the California Division of Safety of Dams.
There are two options for the Lake Hodges Dam: patchwork repairs or a complete rebuild, which would cost around $500 million.
Brian Caldwell, a founding board member of Friends of Lake Hodges, has been pushing for repairs to the Lake Hodges Dam.
"I'd say for county, state, and federal agencies should be talking, getting together. And coming up with the funds to replace the Lake Hodges Dam as soon as possible," Caldwell said.
Caldwell worries that El Niño rains could make an already bad situation with the dam worse.
"We have this El Niño forecast for unprecedented rainfall, which is probably going to mean that the rate of water coming into the reservoir is going to exceed the rate it can be drawn down. So the city of San Diego are going to be unable to keep that threshold," Caldwell said.
He says replacing the dam is something that needs to be addressed.
"It will be very beneficial for various different things: flood control, water rates. Ecology, recreation, brush control. Very good reasons to have that dam replaced ASAP," Caldwell said.
ABC 10News reached out to the city of San Diego about the audit and the possibility of replacement, but has not yet received a response to that request.
In August, the city said it will evaluate potential alternatives to full replacement to ensure that ratepayer dollars are used effectively while maintaining downstream safety.
In August, ABC 10News spoke with Rhonda Farrar, the president of Friends of Lake Hodges, who said the dam's condition has had significant consequences.
"It's the worst dam in the state of California, and because of that, the water levels have been restricted to less than 20% of capacity of the reservoir," Farrar said.
