ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. —

There are five dams in New Mexico that are in need of immediate repair. And if they were to fail, there is high chance for a loss of life.

"On average, 10 dams fail in the United States every year. And it's not slowing down," said Sushil Chaudhary, chief of New Mexico’s dam safety program. "The consequence is disastrous. And that's when people will get people's attention. And so unfortunately, that's the nature of this business."

Chaudhary said the odds of it happening are rare.

"Somebody can die in a road accident, or somebody can die in a plane crash. So that's kind of-- that's where that line has been drawn," Chaudhary said. "That's one in 10,000. So, we don't want to necessarily see dams filling more often than that."

According to the most up-to-date records ga

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