VICTORIA, British Columbia, Oct. 15 (UPI) -- After a dam collapse in British Columbia buried six homes and damaged others, a study found hundreds of dams are in need of repair, officials said.
The provincial government launched an inspection after the Testalinden dam 150 miles east of Vancouver collapsed Jun. 13 and triggered a slide that buried and damaged houses, Canadian Broadcasting Corp. News reported.
Hundreds of dams will require some maintenance work, the investigation found, and four are in need of immediate repairs.
"We directed the owners to take [the emergency] steps," said provincial Environment Minister Barry Penner. "I'm advised that those actions have been implemented or are currently under way."
Most of the 379 dams cited in the report as needing repair are privately owned or maintained and the owners are responsible for their upkeep, officials said.
One expert urged regular audits of all dams across the province.
"The vast majority of dams in B.C. are smaller and privately held," Mark Angelo, an instructor at the British Columbia Institute of Technology, said. "Hence they're not always maintained to an appropriate level and I think that's something we have to improve on."
