Lake Lewisville, Lake Lavon, Lake Texoma.

There are many lakes in Texas - only one is built by nature.

The others are built with dams - man-made.

The state has more dams than any other state but many have not been inspected in decades.

It's an expensive problem that the state of Texas has failed to properly address.

Renetta and Marvin Wilson of Celina have 12 years of history stored in a box.

It's the story of their fight to replace a long-neglected $1 million dam on their property along Preston Road.

"If the thing had breached, our neighbors could have lost their lives at 2 or 3 o'clock in the morning," said Renetta Wilson.

Their dam is one of 7,600 in Texas.

The state is supposed to ensure dams are properly maintained.

In just over the last year, 10 dams in Texas have failed.

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Rheins Reservoir was inspected 21 years ago.

Rheins Reservoir about 70 miles from Dallas was the largest.

The water in this lake used to stretch two miles in one direction.

The last time the dam was inspected was 21 years ago.

More than 25 homes, near the City of Van, lost their lakefront property.

The homeowners declined to be interviewed while they negotiate with the owner - Chevron Oil - to make a $2 million repair.

Warren Samuelson heads the dam inspection program for the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

"We don't have the resources to do all the tasks that we need to do. We don't have enough people," he said.

The legislature gives the TCEQ enough funding for seven dam inspectors, plus two outside contractors.

The commission focuses on the dams that could do the most damage to life and property.

But a recent state audit says it's not nearly enough.

The State Auditor's office writes the TCEQ is: "not able to accomplish its statutory mandate to ensure the safe construction, maintenance, repair, and removal of dams."

"At this time, we're not aware of any dams in imminent threat of failure," said Samuelson.

But how would they even know?

In North Texas there are 690 dams, including picturesque Exall Dam in Highland Park.

The town says it performs visual inspections every two or three years and makes repairs when necessary.

It's a good thing, because the state has not inspected Exall Dam in 21 years.

And that's better than most.

In the column for "last time inspected" 370 dams in North Texas have no date entered at all.

"That means that we have not inspected them, or no one else has inspected them that we are aware of," said Samuelson.

During next legislative session, the TCEQ will ask for a major budget increase for dam inspections, a proposal that's traditionally gone nowhere.

But an even bigger problem is finding funds to repair problems inspectors do find.

A 2003 study estimated it would cost more than $700 million to rehabilitate just the most critical dams in the Texas.

"There's no plan in place to fix these dams. Is it going to be lawsuit, by lawsuit, like we had to go through?" said Wilson.

The Wilsons say they spent 12 years fighting with Collin County to pay for the $1 million repair.

This spring, it was finally rebuilt with government funds.

They worry about the other projects that aren't being funded.

"We still have a major issue with the dams in Collin County, the dams in Texas, and dams in the United States," said Wilson.

E-mail dschechter@wfaa.com.