[Brad from Tennessee]

Construction on the Mosul Dam began in 1980 by a German-Italian consortium that was led by Hochtief Aktiengesellschaft. The earthen embankment dam is located on top of gypsum, a soft mineral which dissolves in contact with water. Continuous maintenance is required to plug, or "grout" new leaks with a liquefied slurry of cement and other additives.[8] More than 50,000 tonnes (49,000 long tons; 55,000 short tons) of material have been injected into the dam since leaks began forming shortly after the reservoir was filled in 1986, and 24 machines currently continuously pump grout into the dam base. A September 2006 report by the United States Army Corps of Engineers noted, "In terms of internal erosion potential of the foundation, Mosul Dam is the most dangerous dam in the world."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosul_Dam

[Brad from Tennessee]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosul_Dam

[jocon307]

“The earthen embankment dam is located on top of gypsum, a soft mineral which dissolves in contact with water.”

Um, that doesn’t seem to smart to me!

Wait until my grandbaby grows up, he’s not even 2 but I’m sure he’s going to be a great engineer. He’ll solve this problem.

Hang in there Iraqis, just for another 25 years or so!

[umgud]

ISIS is certainly radical enough to do it, so will they and why haven’t done so yet?

[samtheman]

Saddam Hussein was exactly the leader Iraq needed. He was a scumbag dictator who knew full well how to keep the faces of The Greater Islamic Scum down in the dirt where they belong. The removal of Hussein from power was a major foreign policy blunder on our part, a blunder which I myself supported at the time. My excuse: I wasn’t being paid to know better.

[mojito]

They're going after Haditha Dam too.

[Vendome]

A 15 foot high wall of water could slam into Baghdad?

Well, hell. That’s an improvement from prognosticators last week, who said it would be a 30 foot high wall of water.

Doing my government, in my head (no napkins are available) I estimate that “If” we can get them to hold off blowing the damn until October 1st, then it should be pretty managable with the threat being a mere 2 feet or so.

That gives Iraq 6 weeks to build diversions through ditches and walls.

We left em plenty of American equipment, so this should be very doable.

Drop food, porn and American whiskey all over the insurgent ISIS forces to distract them.

Gosh! I’ve solved a major problem today and I still haven’t finished my 1st cup of coffee.

cant wait for my second cup.

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

Like what happened to the Marib dam in Yemen. Ancient, always repaired when breached until Islam came along.

The Islamites were too busy hacking off heads to worry about repairing a dam.

[Carry_Okie]

There is a dam with exactly the same problem sitting above St. George, Utah.

[Vendome]

[RetiredTexasVet]

Remember that ISIS represents the demons released from Hell. If it looks like they are losing or have to retreat they will blow up the dam in a heartbeat or they might just do it anyway on a whim.

[UCANSEE2]

[WilliamofCarmichael]

RE: ISIS

A moabist proposal

Massive Ordinance Air Blast, aka "Mother of all bombs"

[353FMG]

“....Mosul Dam began in 1980 by a German-Italian consortium that was led by Hochtief Aktiengesellschaft.”

.
There is your problem.

They should have had the Dutch build it.

[Understand the stimulus]

the KURDS have never defended this dam because it has little impact on them....

[Jimmy Valentine]

Surf’s up!

[lightman]

“If the dam fails, scientists say, Mosul could be completely flooded within hours and a 15-foot wall of water could crash into Baghdad,

Could that be timed for Friday prayers?

[dfwgator]

Cryin’ won’t help you, prayin’ won’t do you no good,
Now, cryin’ won’t help you, prayin’ won’t do you no good,
When the levee breaks, mama, you got to move.

[soycd]

>“If the dam fails, scientists say, Mosul could be completely flooded within hours and a 15-foot wall of water could crash into Baghdad,”

BS. The terrain, gravity and physics does not support such a scenario.

[GOPJ]

What if it ‘broke slowly’?

If it's not being repaired - and I assume repairs have stopped - won't there be a slow drop in water level rather than a collapse?

[clearcarbon]

The Mosul Dam might be considered a real WMD in the hands of a terrorist organization.