BOSTON -- A dam that nearly gave way in Massachusetts almost three years ago put the state's dam safety office on notice. Since then, the state promised to make sure dangerous dams are repaired and safe.

Team Five Investigates recently learned, however, that 27 dams are still considered unsafe. Most of them are owned by private citizens. Some of them have have ignored their properties and public safety.

State: Dozens Of Mass. Dams Dangerous

In Freetown, two dams are owned by Andre Fournier, the Forge Pond Dam and the Monument Pond Dam. Fournier has refused to repair the dams the state calls "unsafe" and a "high hazard."

That means if they collapse, they will likely cause loss of life and serious damage to homes, industrial facilities, public utilities, main highways and railroads.

"I blame the dam owner," said Lisa Pacheco, Freetown's selectwoman. "The town is in danger and he has gotten away with it for so long."

Team 5 Investigates located Fournier at his home. He was unapologetic about the dams' condition.

Team 5: "The state has fined you $500 a day since last year. You owe hundreds of thousands of dollars."

Fournier: "I owe $142,000"

Team 5: "Why have you not paid it?"

Fournier: "I get $500 a month income."

Team 5: "Do you have plans to fix the dam?"

Fournier "Yes. As soon as I get a rich inheritance."

Pacheco said the dilapidated dams are a public safety concern.

"The dam runs down and goes right through the village. There is actually a house that sits over the water. So we need to make sure we protect those people who live downstream," said Pacheco.

The state office of dam safety have not collected fines from negligent private dam owners after decades of being in arrears.

"There's a certain expression. You can't get blood from a stone," said Richard Sullivan, Commissioner of the State Department of Conservation and Recreation. "The state isn't looking to take on gigantic liabilities, particularly when it involves private property," he said.

Another recalcitrant owner of East Bridgewater's Cotton Gin Mill Pond was also fined for his unsafe dam. He insisted he's negotiating with the state but the commissioner denied that claim.

The state has had some success with unsafe, high hazard dams. After ignoring a series of non compliance orders over the past two years, the owners of the Monsanto dam in Springfield were forced to partially breach the dam this spring. The state feared the dam would collapse.

But many unsafe dams are left unattended. The Bel Air Dam in Pittsfield is unsafe and a high hazard. The owner can't be found. In fact, state officials say he's wanted by the police.

In Gloucester, the owner of West Pond Outlet Dam, also unsafe and a high hazard, is missing. Morey's Bridge Dam in Taunton had some repairs, but it is still deemed unsafe. Fines were imposed but not a dime's been collected.

The DCR commissioner said there are some measures the state can take. They can and have put liens on the properties. They can also take the properties over, which so far they have not done.

Finally, they can ask the state Attorney General to take action against the dam owners.

"We haven't gone to the next step of going to the attorney general yet," said Sullivan.

Some of the most dangerous dams are publicly owned. The Reservoir dam in Windsor is owned by the local fire department. The town of Foxboro owns the Carpenter Upper Pond Dam and Dike but town officials said they had no plans to fix it.

"In many cases, the fix for these dams is many hundreds of thousand of dollars," said Sullivan, "and they don't provide any function anymore."

But getting rid of dams is even tougher. Some residents say the dams add esthetic value to the surrounding property. The owners of Mountain Lake Dam in Chicopee wanted to donate it to the city, but that hasn't happened.

In the meantime, they drained the surrounding ponds, hoping another bad rain storm won't jeopardize nearby homes. The owners hope the state won't get serious about collecting their $500 a day fines.

Despite the danger of these dams, Sullivan said he is not losing sleep because when the threat is imminent, he said the state steps in. But Sullivan doubted he would ever recoup the fines imposed on dam owners or reimbursement for the emergency repairs the state undertook.

"I guess I'm not very confident that we will get the money back," said Sullivan.