Residents along Washington state’s White Salmon River are worried about erosion after a 127-foot breach in the Condit Dam earlier this month.
KATU reports that the break has also dried up parts of Northwestern Lake, which has been replaced by a muddy canyon 80 feet deep in some areas.
Homeowners said they were concerned about the stability of their houses, as well as possible water well pollution now that the lake is gone. Erosion control products from Impact Absorbents, such as the Ultra DrainGuard Ultimate and Jute Netting, can help lessen the damage from future erosion.
Power utility Pacificorp, which owns the dam, has about 36 leases to homeowners near the dried up lake and there are about a dozen more private homes in the area that also rely on well water.
Nearby resident Daryl Kandler told the news agency that Pacificorp has done little to shore up the area.
“Every time it rains that stuff is going to keep sluffing in,” Kandler added. “I don’t know when they are going to come in. They say they were going to slope the banks and make it safe but every time it rains more silt is going to keep coming down.”
