http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2011381478_greenriver19m.html
What's it going to take to see the waste of the war?
For these people to die?
The Army Corps of Engineers has a plan to dramatically reduce the risk of flooding below the damaged Howard Hanson Dam, but the Corps' district commander said Thursday it would take an act of Congress — and quickly — to provide any relief during the next rainy season.
Col. Anthony Wright said his agency doesn't have the $44 million required to hire a contractor and make a second set of interim repairs to slow the flow of water through one flank of the earthen dam on the Green River.
The dam has prevented flooding in Kent, Auburn, Renton and Tukwila for almost 50 years, but damage discovered after a January 2009 storm led the Corps of Engineers to reduce its storage capacity. That means more water may be released during a major storm to guarantee the dam doesn't collapse.
Because permanent repairs can't be completed before 2015, the Corps wants to deepen and lengthen a grout curtain that was installed last year. Construction of the grout curtain and improvements to downstream levees reduced the likelihood of flooding in one year from about 1-in-3 to 1-in-33.
If the grout curtain is improved, the dam could be filled to capacity and the chance of severe flooding reduced to 1-in-140, the historic level, Wright said. Even if Congress were to appropriate money for the fix quickly — "which I don't consider likely" — he said it would take another six months to strengthen the dam abutment somewhat and 10 months to complete the job.
Wright said the additional grouting would have "a lifespan of a couple major flood events," meaning the full benefit of the work might not last all the way until a permanent fix is done.
