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Pasadena’s Devil’s Gate Dam could be put to the test

Posted by: Maven on November 28, 2009 at 7:18 am

devils gateFrom the Los Angeles Times:

“Twelve years ago, the idea of a giant mudslide barreling down the Arroyo Seco in Pasadena was considered only a distant possibility.

Nevertheless, the Devil’s Gate Dam underwent a major enhancement that took two years to complete and enabled one of the oldest dams in Los Angeles County to withstand a potential massive debris flow.

At the time, engineers thought the improvements might be overkill because conditions would never be extreme enough to test the dam’s strength, at least not in their lifetimes.

“Not a chance,” recalled Brad Boman, engineering manager of water services at Pasadena Water and Power.

But since the Station fire burned more than 160,000 acres and nearly all of the Arroyo Seco in late August and September, making it the worst wildfire in recorded L.A. County history, the experts have changed their tune.

“Twelve years later, we’re confronted with that possibility,” Boman said. … “

Read more from the Los Angeles Times by clicking here.

November 28, 2009 · Filed Under Southern California

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