CALIFORNIA IN BRIEF : DAVIS : Many Small Dams Cracked in Quake

Thirteen of 21 small earth-fill dams in Santa Cruz County suffered minor cracks in the massive Oct. 17 earthquake, a federal survey released this week says. Altogether, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Soil Conservation Service reported on 93 small earth-fill dams in Santa Cruz and eight nearby counties affected by the quake and found that 73% had no observable damage. Of those that were damaged, only 40% required repair, and the remaining 60% had “minor cracks in no immediate need of repair,” the survey said. The highest percentage of damaged dams was in Santa Cruz County, the epicenter of the Oct. 17 quake, but none of the damage was identified by the Davis-based survey office as an immediate threat.