San Diego County has 54 dams, and the state judges them all to be safe, an impressive feat considering that the average dam is 62 years old.

inewsource filed Public Records Act requests with the California Division of Safety of Dams and 19 dam-owning public agencies, such as water districts, requesting the latest inspection reports and emergency action plans, if one existed. According to the reports, all 54 dams were “judged safe for continued use.” The county’s oldest is Helix Water District’s Lake Cuyamaca dam, an earthen structure constructed in 1887.