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The US Corp of Engineers does not have encouraging things to say about the Santa Fe Dam. The structure received a class two rating, the second worst grade possible, deeming the structure potentially unsafe with a high probability of failure, reports KFI. Designed to protect the San Gabriel River from flooding parts of Whittier, Baldwin Park, El Monte, Basset, La Puente, the dam is designed of earth and stone and "catastrophic failure" could occur during a major earthquake. "Because so many people live near the dam, engineers are worried the costs would be astronomical and the consequences deadly," notes KFI.
