40 years later: Spirit Lake's looming threat

YOU'RE WATCHING KOIN 6 NEWS AT 5.30 WATCHING OUT FOR YOU. THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ERUPTION OF MOUNT SAINT HELENS IS ON MONDAY BUT YEARS AFTER THE ERUPTION WORK NEEDS TO BE DONE TO PROTECT TOWNS FROM CATASTROPHIC FLOODING IF SPIRIT LAKE. AT THE FOOT OF THE VOLCANO EVER GIVES WAY IN AN EARTHQUAKE. OUR DAN TOKEN LOOKS AT HOW CONDITIONS HAVE CHANGED ITS SPIRIT LAKE AND WHY 2 PROPOSED PROJECTS ARE SO CRITICAL AND DIFFICULT. BEFORE THE 1980 ERUPTION SPEAR LIKE WAS WELL KNOWN AS A SUMMER DESTINATION FOR SWIMMING. AMP VOTING WITH THE SYMMETRICAL POUND MOVING IN THE BACKGROUND. THE LAKE WAS ALSO FAMOUS FOR ITS LAUNCH AND THE DEFIANCE OF THE OWNER IN THE FACE OF THE ERUPTION. IT ROOM I HAD TO PEOPLE YES, YOU ASKED ME WHY THEY ARE THEY WANT TO BE DOING THAT THEN THAT'S MY LIFE SPIRIT. LAKE ANNOUNCE AND HOW WAS MY LIFE. 40 YEARS AFTER THE ERUPTION LIFE AND THE ENVIRONMENT ON THE THOUSANDS OF ACRES AROUND SAINT HELENS STILL RESEMBLE A MOONSCAPE THE NATIONAL VOLCANIC MONUMENT HAS BEEN LEFT TO NATURE. MOSTLY. BUT NOW SPIRIT LAKE NEEDS ATTENTION BECAUSE SCIENTISTS KNOW THE DANGER THEY DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT IN THE 1980'S. THE THREAT OF A MASSIVE MAGNITUDE 9 EARTHQUAKE PREDICTED FOR THE WEST COAST. AND WHAT IT WOULD DO TO THE SOUTH WESTERN SHORE OF THE LAKE WHICH WAS FORMED BY THE ERUPTION. AND MASSIVE LANDSLIDE. SURELY DOES 4 PLUS SQUARE MILE AWAY BILLIONS OF GALLONS OF WATER AND SO IT IF WHERE THERE WERE TO BE A FAILURE. 3 PACKAGE MUST LEARN TO THE 1980 ERUPTION DOWN THROUGH THIS WALKING IT HE'S GOING OUT OF THE LEARNING COMMUNITIES, A LOT OF IT ALSO UNDER STATE AS WELL AS THE RIVER CITY WITH BE IMPACTED. CHRIS TREE BERG IS THE FOREST SERVICE PROJECT MANAGER FOR THE AGENCIES PLAN TO DRILL DEEP INTO THE LAND SIDE DEBRIS BLOCKAGE. SCIENTISTS WANT TO TEST THE SHORE AT A SLOW PLY WHICH YOU CAN SEE HERE AT THE LEFT OF YOUR SCREEN TO LEARN HOW STRONG IT IS WHEN THE MOUNT ARE A BIT. IT IT DROPPED A LANDSLIDE A ROCK DEBRIS INTO THE VALLEY AND ON TOP OF THAT IS OUR CLASSIC FLOW WHICH IS HIGHLY A ROLE AND ON TOP OF THAT IS A NATIONAL AIR LIKE A LAYER CAKE. SO THE LAKE IS HELD BACK BY ROCKSLIDE DEGREE. THE ERUPTION LANDSLIDE ALSO BLOCK THE FLOW OF WATER OUT OF SPIRIT LAKE TO THE TOTAL RIVER. THE ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS BUILD THIS TUNNEL 35 YEARS AGO TO KEEP WATER AT A SAFE LEVEL. 4 YEARS AGO WE WERE THERE WHEN CREWS TRAVELED A MILE INSIDE TO REMOVE THIS ROCK BLOCKAGE. NOW THE TUNNEL NEEDS MORE ATTENTION. IT KIND THIS LAKESIDE INLAND BLOCKED FROM VIEW INSIDE THE TUNNEL IS A GATE THERE REGULATES HOW MUCH WATER GOES IN CANNOT HAVE JUST OPEN FLOW INTO THE TOP IS THAT IT WITH FRESH EYES AND START WITH THE BASICALLY COLLAPSED THE TUNNEL THE PLAN NOW IS TO REPLACE THE OLD GATE AND PUT IN THE SECOND ONE FOR THE SAFETY OF CREWS WHO HAVE TO WORK INSIDE. BUT TO DO THE PROJECT'S CREWS NEED TO BE ABLE TO BRING IN BARGES AND DRILLING EQUIPMENT. THE PLAN IS TO RECREATE THIS ROAD TO THE LAKE THAT WAS PLOWED THROUGH RASH SHORTLY AFTER THE ERUPTION. NOW YOU CAN SEE NATURE HAS MOSTLY RECLAIMED IT SO THE ROAD IS ONLY A TRAIL. TRUMAN TRAIL. THIS MAP SHOWS THE NEW ROAD WOULD TAKE CONSTRUCTION CREWS FROM THE SOUTH TO THE NORTH TO GET TO THE WESTERN SHORE OF THE LAKE. THE PLAN WAS DEVISED WITH THE GOAL DISTURBING THIS UNIQUE ENVIRONMENT AS LITTLE AS POSSIBLE. WHILE STILL PROTECTING PEOPLE DOWNSTREAM. FROM FLOODING AT ALL COST WE HAVE TO KEEP THAT FROM EVER HAPPENING AGAIN LIKE 40 YEARS AGO. IN TOKEN. KOIN 6 NEWS. AND A LITTLE MORE INFORMATION THE LAKE IS KEPT 30 TO 35 FEET BELOW ITS BANKS TO REDUCE THE RISK OF A CATASTROPHE. THE DEADLINE FOR PEOPLE TO WEIGH IN ON THIS NEW PLAN IS MAY 22ND. WE HAVE A LINK AT KOIN DOT COM FOR HOW TO DO THAT AND WHO IS ELIGIBLE. IF APPROVED THE

Channel: KOIN 6

Views: 550,594

Keywords: default, news

Id: YvSPfsC0_fQ

Length: 4min 27sec (267 seconds)

Published: Wed May 13 2020