10,000 Midland County, Mich., residents were forced to leave their homes when heavy rains May 19 and 20 swelled the Titabawassee River to a record high and caused the Edenville and Sanford dams to fail.

Dam owners, state and local authorities must do a better job of understanding the history of the dams in their inventory as well as preparing for ice runs that could destroy dams like Nebraska's Spencer Dam, which collapsed under the weight of heavy rain combined with cold temperatures and frozen ground last spring.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is facing the challenges of a changing climates, the demands of river commerce in a changing economy and the needs of the other agencies it acts as a developer for simultaneously.

After nearly a quarter-century of construction, the Olmsted Locks and Dam project may finally open to commercial shipping traffic in 2018.

MWH will provide a detailed design for a 360-ft-tall dam, spillway and outlet works.