In the aftermath of the devastating Kaloko Dam break, the state has acted with appropriate urgency after years of relative inattention to dam-safety issues.

That's encouraging. But it will take that sense of urgency, aggressive regular inspections and more to help ensure that our dams are safe.

So far, recent developments are all to the good: a request for over $14 million for flood cleanup is moving through the Legislature; there's improved cooperation with federal agencies, and the state has completed emergency inspections on all 54 of Kaua'i's dams, with the rest of the state to be done within the coming weeks.

The Kaloko Dam break was indeed a wake-up call, illustrating the need to address the condition of our dams and their potential threat to public safety now, not later.

One of the problems that emerged centers on lack of clarity regarding the state's ability to inspect privately owned dams. In the Kaloko case, the state sent the dam's owners a letter saying they would assume they could inspect the dam if there was no response from the owners.

Yet, the state's records showed no inspection of Kaloko before the breach. And while the state could have assumed that a non-response from the owners gave it the legal right to inspect the dam, the state did not take further action.

More clarity in the law that gives the state the right to inspect more of these sites, coupled witha more rigorous maintenance schedule, must be the goal. Of course, emergency inspections don't take the place of ongoing maintenance inspections — something we now know must be done.

Peter Young, director of the state's Department of Land and Natural Resource, said about $5 million will be used for an intensive study on the actual structural quality of Hawai'i's dams. Previous studies, Young said, looked just at the risk of impact and what would happen in the event of a failure.

That's a welcome change. But real progress will only come if maintenance inspections are sustained over time.

Only through aggressive follow-up during a regular schedule of inspections will the state be able to make sure all of our dams are safe. It's something we can't afford to ignore.