Word: damming
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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When the Howard Hanson Dam was first built on the Green River in western Washington in 1962, the concrete behemoth was hailed as the new protector of the valley below. Until that point, the Green River Valley was regularly inundated during the flood season, which runs from late October through March. "We had an almost annual flood," recalls Governor Christine Gregoire, who grew up in the valley. "Only when I was in high school and they built the Howard Hanson Dam did we see an end to the flooding." Now, should the water rise to dangerous levels, engineers will...
...between 1980 and 2000 alone, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation. Some 350,000 people are estimated to live in the Green River Valley. Last January, because of torrential rains, the river rose 10 ft. higher than it ever had before and severely damaged the dam. This winter, with the likelihood of just as much rain, there will be some 35,000 residents in danger. If authorities try to make do with the crippled dam and it fails, "you're talking about a biblical wall of water swimming down the valley," says Kurt Triplett, interim executive of King...
Engineers are frantically working to strengthen the dam, installing a "grout curtain," or, as Triplett explains, basically applying huge amounts of caulk, to firm up where the edges of the dam anchor into gravel. Because the engineers can't be sure that the patched dam will hold - and there is even a real possibility that the repair work could just ensure that the gravel collapses in one chunk, as opposed to failing in pockets - should the anticipated rains arrive, the only relatively safe option will be to deliberately release the dam. "What is crystal clear is that there will...
...ultimately that grim reality that prompted Triplett to declare a state of emergency in early September, likely months before the dreaded event. Government officials have requested $40 million in federal funding to prepare - the dam is a federal facility - in addition to another $16 million from the Army Corps of Engineers devoted specifically to bolstering levees down the river. While Washington's congressional delegates fight for the money in the nation's capital, preparations and public-awareness campaigns are already under way - including driving home the importance of purchasing flood insurance, and buying it right away...
...major floods will likely happen in mid- to late November, leaving just weeks for homeowners to get everything in order. Hence, the current government battle cry. "Buy flood insurance," Governor Gregoire says. "I know we're at a very difficult time financially for many families but should this dam fail, while FEMA will step up, it will never replace individual homes...