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Enormous New Dam Fails In Brazil
New Scientist ^
| 7-10-2006
Posted on 07/10/2006 8:15:34 PM PDT by blam
Enormous new dam fails in Brazil
10 July 2006
From New Scientist Print Edition.
GIANT cracks have opened in one of the world's tallest dams, just months after completion. The cracks appeared after a tunnel collapsed on 20 June beneath the 200-metre-high Campos Novos dam in southern Brazil, and the reservoir rapidly emptied. At one point, 4000 cubic metres of water (more than enough to fill an Olympic-size swimming pool) were rushing downstream every second towards a second dam on the river Canoas.
"If this had happened during the rainy season, and the two reservoirs had been full, water would likely have poured over the lower dam and it might have been destroyed. That would have been a major disaster, with perhaps hundreds killed," says Patrick McCully of the International Rivers Network, a California-based group that campaigns against large dams. Between them, the two dams can hold more than 2 cubic kilometres of water.
The dam's owner, Enercan, a consortium of Brazilian power companies, has revealed little about the accident. It is reported to have been trying to patch holes in a leaking tunnel since October, before the second tunnel failed catastrophically last month.
TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: beaverscoulddobetter; brazil; bushsfault; crackkills; dam; ducttapeterrorists; energy; enormous; environment; fails; hahaha; hooverwouldbeproud; isthatacrack; latinamerica; new; ps; thatsadoover; water
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To: martin_fierro
Good gracious; is the resevoir full behind that thing?
21
posted on
07/10/2006 8:36:22 PM PDT
by
Howlin
To: martin_fierro
Holy crap. It's been a bad month for Brazil.
22
posted on
07/10/2006 8:37:18 PM PDT
by
July 4th
(A vacant lot cancelled out my vote for Bush.)
To: alancarp
"Dang, how do you fix THAT?"
I'd say it's gonna take a lot of duct tape.
23
posted on
07/10/2006 8:37:22 PM PDT
by
UCANSEE2
(I will go down with this ship, and I won't put my hands up in surrender.)
To: KS Flyover
24
posted on
07/10/2006 8:37:28 PM PDT
by
Thombo2
To: Howlin
I think the resevoir fills up on this side of the dam.
25
posted on
07/10/2006 8:37:39 PM PDT
by
spyone
To: martin_fierro
"No, no, Duarte! It's two parts Quikrete and one part water!!"
26
posted on
07/10/2006 8:37:54 PM PDT
by
VeniVidiVici
(My head hurts.)
To: KS Flyover
I'd bet that they did not let the cement cure. You can't just fill up the forms and say, "That's it." It takes many, many pours, in stages and phases to get the cement to cure properly.
27
posted on
07/10/2006 8:37:57 PM PDT
by
Cobra64
(All we get are lame ideas from Republicans and lame criticism from dems about those lame ideas.)
To: martin_fierro
To: spyone
I guess I need to look at the picture again, huh? Thanks. :-)
29
posted on
07/10/2006 8:38:13 PM PDT
by
Howlin
To: Southack
Either that, or "Plumber's Crack!"
30
posted on
07/10/2006 8:39:26 PM PDT
by
SierraWasp
(Memo To: Uncle Sam Re: Terrorists, Insurgents and Illegal Combatants...NoUniforms... No Prisoners!!!)
To: Howlin
You're looking at the resevoir side. The little brown puddle is all that's left.
31
posted on
07/10/2006 8:39:26 PM PDT
by
jjr153
(Never Forget 9/11)
To: Howlin
Buy the real estate this side of the dam...sell the real estate on the other side.
32
posted on
07/10/2006 8:39:37 PM PDT
by
spyone
To: blam
That has GOT TO SUCK! All that work for not, I really feel bad for them.
33
posted on
07/10/2006 8:39:50 PM PDT
by
KoRn
To: LdSentinal
"And they lose to France in the World Cup."On top of that, if I'm not mistaken, French is Brazil's official language!!! No wonder!!!
34
posted on
07/10/2006 8:41:05 PM PDT
by
SierraWasp
(Memo To: Uncle Sam Re: Terrorists, Insurgents and Illegal Combatants...NoUniforms... No Prisoners!!!)
To: blam
That looks to be a concrete-over-fill dam. Essentially a big dirt coffer with a concrete coating over it.
To: alancarp
Dang, how do you fix THAT? Looks like a do-over if I've ever seen one.
36
posted on
07/10/2006 8:42:14 PM PDT
by
Recovering Hermit
(Apparently, most who protest for peace do so at the expense of hygiene.)
To: Texas Songwriter
Ok then, don't go near the new Oakland Bay Bridge when it's done!!!
37
posted on
07/10/2006 8:43:27 PM PDT
by
SierraWasp
(Memo To: Uncle Sam Re: Terrorists, Insurgents and Illegal Combatants...NoUniforms... No Prisoners!!!)
To: blam
Patrick McCully of the International Rivers Network, a California-based group that campaigns against large dams. What a really weird thing to be against; “large dams.” I guess that there is some group that is against just about anything nowadays.
38
posted on
07/10/2006 8:43:49 PM PDT
by
Inyo-Mono
(Life is like a cow pasture, it's hard to get through without stepping in some mess. NRA.)
To: SierraWasp; Howlin; sionnsar; xsmommy
Portuguese, sir, Portuguese is the language.
Some ole pope got a bit confused when he was dividing up the new world between Spain and Portugal.
Well, Spain decided to take what was WEST of the pope's dividing line, and Portugal got what was EAST of the dividing line .......
They just hadn't quite got the whole continent mapped out yet and didn't know Spain got most of the continent,and all of the gold and silver and slaves.
39
posted on
07/10/2006 8:47:21 PM PDT
by
Robert A Cook PE
(I can only donate monthly, but Hillary's ABBCNNBCBS continue to lie every day!)
To: garjog
Get a Dutch boy with a BIG finger!
40
posted on
07/10/2006 8:47:31 PM PDT
by
dalereed
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