[jester]

I saw the program a couple months ago as well.


The conventional power plants would last unmanned a couple says until the fuel ran out.

The nuclear plants as you stated until something caused a shutdown.

As for damns, the Hoover Damn would last they said about 11 years. Not barnacles but silt build up from Lake Mead. The tunnels inside that channel water to the turbines would silt up and become clogged. Then the damn wouldn't release water, it would build up then spill over and then the thing would crumble eventualy.

But, I am thinking about alot of the smaller damns that are used for water. Most damns in the US were made in the 30s and 40s and then 50s the last being made in the early 60s. So, they are kinda old as it is.

And without maintenance, they are more suseptible, but also the things they are supposed to protect against, basicaly a domino effect, say an unusualy heavy spring melt, causing the damn to hold back water above its capability withouth the ability to spill it off adding more stress and this happens several years where it is beyond capacity, then water spills over the top <flooding it internaly adding more stress and also adding water to the inside and metal structures causing them to rust> and if its in a cold climate that freezes more cracks apear further weakening it.

Floods sending debris from upstream impact the damn wall and so you have a constant battering of say logs that batter the sides with the current action of the damn. And one day one small section of the dam fails and water pours through making a bigger and bigger breach.



Although a cool idea would be the PCs to find a damn that was shut down. And they are working to bring it online, or they just use it as a cool easily defended headquarters. After all most larger damns have tunnels and rooms and chambers inside making a maze, in addition to buildings topside and a road along the top as well that is a natural choke point.