Iowa Dam collapses

[Adios]

A dam on an eastern Iowa lake suffered a "catastrophic" failure Saturday, sending a massive amount of water into nearby communities and forcing residents to flee, officials said.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/07/24/iowa.dam.breach/index.html?video=true&hpt=T2

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Dams and bridges across the country are at the end of their lifespans, and there are no funds for repair or replacement... even if replacement was logistically feasible, which in many cases it's not. When these dams were built, the assumption was that somehow the future would figure it out. Instead, predictably, we just ignored them for 50 years and pretended they would last eternally.

A few more of these (inevitable) disasters, and the US will slide fully into its new 3rd-world status.

[Adios]

Dam risk tool.

http://www.fema.gov/library/viewRecord.do?id=3296

[Jasper]

I think if the government can shrug off dozens of billions of dollars in damages, likely the it can do the same over any number of small towns and dams.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Oregon is trying to handle its massive dam deterioration problem by blowing them up, but there isn't funding for demolition, let alone the relocation of the people who live in the flood zone.

Of course, if we hadn't built the fucking things in the first place we wouldn't be having the salmon crisis we have... 

[Adios]

Oregon is trying to handle its massive dam deterioration problem by blowing them up, but there isn't funding for demolition, let alone the relocation of the people who live in the flood zone.

Of course, if we hadn't built the fucking things in the first place we wouldn't be having the salmon crisis we have... 

Can't that possibly clog rivers and streams?

[Jasper]

I wish I could blow all my problems up. 

[the dreadful hours]

dam

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Oregon is trying to handle its massive dam deterioration problem by blowing them up, but there isn't funding for demolition, let alone the relocation of the people who live in the flood zone.

Of course, if we hadn't built the fucking things in the first place we wouldn't be having the salmon crisis we have... 

Can't that possibly clog rivers and streams?

Blowing up dams? Tends to UNclog rivers and streams... Also, the whole "OMG we have to "unclog" rivers and streams!" craze of the 70's and 80's was a raft of hogwash. Rivers and streams need to have debris in them in order to sustain a suitable environment for wildlife.

[Adios]

Oregon is trying to handle its massive dam deterioration problem by blowing them up, but there isn't funding for demolition, let alone the relocation of the people who live in the flood zone.

Of course, if we hadn't built the fucking things in the first place we wouldn't be having the salmon crisis we have... 

Can't that possibly clog rivers and streams?

Blowing up dams? Tends to UNclog rivers and streams... Also, the whole "OMG we have to "unclog" rivers and streams!" craze of the 70's and 80's was a raft of hogwash. Rivers and streams need to have debris in them in order to sustain a suitable environment for wildlife.

What about these guys?

http://www.mrsc.org/subjects/environment/esa/esa-intr.aspx?r=1

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Oregon is trying to handle its massive dam deterioration problem by blowing them up, but there isn't funding for demolition, let alone the relocation of the people who live in the flood zone.

Of course, if we hadn't built the fucking things in the first place we wouldn't be having the salmon crisis we have... 

Can't that possibly clog rivers and streams?

Blowing up dams? Tends to UNclog rivers and streams... Also, the whole "OMG we have to "unclog" rivers and streams!" craze of the 70's and 80's was a raft of hogwash. Rivers and streams need to have debris in them in order to sustain a suitable environment for wildlife.

What about these guys?

http://www.mrsc.org/subjects/environment/esa/esa-intr.aspx?r=1

What about them?

[Adios]

How do they insure they aren't blowing them up?

[Adios]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19952817/

Never mind. 

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Yes, that's what I was saying... Oregon's plan is to take care of the dam problem by demolishing them, but we lack sufficient funding so it's going really slowly. We have HUNDREDS of decaying, problematic dams slated for demolition, and so far we have the funding to remove about one per year. Obviously, something about this equation is not working in our favor.

[Adios]

Looks like they removed the debris for recycling as well.