El Paso Water Averts Dam Disaster

0:00El Paso water just dodged a major disaster at the cement leg dam. They pumped out water to stabilize it and prevent a collapse, according to the utility's CEO John Balley. He called it a very close call, but now the risk is super low. Rose-like Donifon Drive, Pisano Drive, and Highway Loop 375 in West El Paso are back open after days of closures. By Sunday morning, April 26, crews had removed 17 feet of water from a 39 million gallon lake and sent it into the Rio Grande. Officials said they needed at least 10 feet out to steady the earth and dam. Earlier, they added more than 30,000 tons of engineered dirt to reinforce it. The whole thing started when seapids showed up on April 22, right after El Paso water took ownership. They halted work late Thursday when conditions got too dangerous, but got back on site. Saturday, April 25, once things improved. Nearby roads stayed shut to avoid flooding if the dam gave way.

1:01Turns out, they bought the lake, also called Portland Reservoir, for $4 million in March from the Texas Department of Transportation. No structural check was done beforehand, just environmental tests that came back clean. The plan was for open space and a wastewater project. Now they're moving from emergency mode to a long-term fix, hiring engineers from freeze and nickels and experts from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It'll take time, but the site's secure for now, letting the city breathe easy and focus ahead. That wraps El Paso News today, brought to you with AI.