The Gilboa Dam, just outside of Schenectady, NY (my adopted home town...go ahead, joke away) is showing signs of potential collapse. If it does indeed fail (there is a flood watch due to heavy rain and unusual snow melt due to warmer than usual temperatures) some 20 billion gallons of water could come spilling out. Downtown Schenectady could be flooded by as much as 14 feet of water.
The Gilboa Dam is 80 years old and is not up to current safety standards. The dam itself is simply a barrier at a high point in the Mohawk River. Generally during flood season, excess water crests over the top and this has helped to erode the structure. Engineers are removing debris from around the dam to build a siphon that would remove water from behind the dam and alleviate some pressure. For more information on the attempts to repair the dam, check out the Emergency Action Plan. Make sure to take a look at the photo essay of the siphon installation.
Don't worry about me. I live in Schenectady, but nowhere near downtown. Worry about the Historic Stockade area which was one of the first Dutch settlements in the US, and possibly General Electric (GE) Schenectady, where Thomas Edison originally set up shop.
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