This editorial appears in the Yakima Herald-Republic on Jan. 1, 2009

The news that illegal dams are sprouting up in Central Washington agriculture operations is but another example of lax oversight by government agencies. In this case, the dams, which could actually pose a threat to public health and safety, must fall under some sort of tracking system.

The Associated Press reported last week that one-third of the 30 high-hazard illegal dams that have been identified are in the Yakima Valley. A recent inspection showed that if seven of those illegal dams failed simultaneously during an extreme weather event, millions of gallons of water could "wipe out Sunnyside," according to a state Department of Ecology spokesman in Olympia.

That's not something the people of Sunnyside want to hear.

What's scary is that the illegal dams were discovered by accident. They were built -- as high as 40 feet in one case -- without any attention to such pesky details as permits and, we would assume, routine safety inspections by regulators.

State officials began investigating illegal dams after discovering several while reviewing aerial photos of their own projects last spring. So far, of nearly 600 potential dams identified in the photos, 96 were identified as high hazard, with three or more homes downstream.

Whoa, what's wrong with this picture? We thought it was bad enough that this newspaper's investigative series, "Hidden wells, dirty water," uncovered scandalous neglect of oversight that delayed discovery of scores of polluted wells in the Yakima Valley. Now we have dams that could -- and have in other parts of the state -- failed under extreme weather conditions.

People in agriculture are quick to bemoan too much government regulation, yet incidents such as this would cause thinking people to wonder if there's enough. Certainly there is little excuse for unregulated activities that can threaten public health and safety and a way must be found to eliminate or control them.

The Associated Press reported that Ecology officials are working with landowners to improve the dams' structures or offer permits for some that already meet requirements. They also are working with the state Horticultural Association and the state Water Resources Association, which supports local irrigation districts, to better educate members about regulations governing private dams.

The issue of illegal dams -- along with polluted and unregulated wells -- should move up on the priority list for state legislators when they convene Jan. 12.

We see a pressing need for a task force review of all regulatory procedures to see what works, what doesn't and what's out there that we don't even know about yet. Like illegal dams.

* Members of the Yakima Herald-Republic editorial board are Michael Shepard, Barbara Serrano, Spencer Hatton and Karen Troianello.