Geology Exemplified at Its Worst

Submitted by Christopher J. Schuberth (United States), Nov 8, 2007 at 22:23

First, how can a major dam be built on the rock foundation consisting principally of highly soluble, evaporite minerals, whether gypsum, anhydrite, halite, or a combination of all? Civil engineers can compensate for these structurally poor foundation materials, but apparently such had not been done here. Why not?

In reality of this situation, grouting is a permanent and unending requirement as grout gradually replaces the soluble materials. Second, gradually drain the reservoir at a discharge rate that can be accomodated by the down-dam river system, destoy the existing dam, and build a new one using best practices of both the engineering and geoscience professions who both have come a long way in better understanding the science and the application of the science in an engineering effort.

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".