Fox NewsEPHRATA, WASH. – A 65-foot-long crack in a Columbia River dam in central Washington has prompted officials to begin lowering the water level by 20 feet so inspectors can get a better idea of how serious the damage is.
Grant County Public Utility District spokesman Thomas Stredwick said Friday there’s no immediate threat to public safety from the crack in the Wanapum Dam, located just downstream from where Interstate 90 crosses the river.
Still, The Seattle Times reports Stredwick calls the crack a serious problem. An engineer earlier this week spotted a slight “bowing” above the spillway gates near where cars can drive across the dam. Divers found a 2-inch-wide crack along the base of one of the spillway piers.
Public utility district officials decided Friday that the failure risk was high enough that they should notify other government agencies and downstream water users.
Dam failure in the rural area would primarily affect farmers, fishermen and power generation. The dam can generate more than 1,000 megawatts of hydroelectric power.
Wanapum Dam was built in 1959 and is more than a mile long.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/03/01/65-foot-long-crack-found-in-washington-dam-on-columbia-river/
I guess the standard reaction to that is “O, Damn”
Arnie: “This way, please.The tour is about to start. Welcome, everyone. I am your dam guide, Arnie. I’m about to take you through a fully functioning power plant. So, please…no one wander off the dam tour. Please, take all the dam pictures you want. Now, any dam questions?”
Eddie: “Where can I get some dam bait?”
(From the movie, “Vegas Vacation”)
“EPHRATA, WASH. – A 65-foot-long crack in a Columbia River dam in central Washington has prompted officials to begin lowering the water level by 20 feet so inspectors can get a better idea of how serious the damage is.”
Wouldn’t be the least bit surprised to find out this crack was intentionally created.
They’re doing their ‘damndest’ to limit or altogether eradicate our water supplies.
engineer in his grave: dam it dam it dam it!