Idaho’s Teton Dam Could be Rebuilt

At first you don’t succeed…

As we’re just a dozen weeks away from the storied collapse of the Teton Dam, there’s some discussion on rebuilding the wreck.  The publication AG PROUD had a story this week about rumblings (sorry!) among state legislators and some in the farming community.  I liked one comment about how Idaho has all the water it needs; we just need better storage.  And a massive dam could also aid in the generation of hydropower.

Let's Think it Through

But where are we going to build a new one?   A video I recently watched suggested the trouble is geology.  The lava rock below the original wasn’t stable, no matter how much concrete was injected in hopes of filling tubes and pores.  You would also have some public opposition.  Especially from people with long memories.  Even if their numbers are few, they would be loud, and the media would salivate over replays of homes floating away, and dead cattle strewn across the valley.

I’m not opposed to a second try, and I suppose engineers have developed better ideas on how to deal with the soil and rock, but has anyone brought up a price tag?  The state clearly couldn’t afford the project, and the federal government is 40 trillion dollars in debt (and the bleeding is accelerating).

I Think a Rebuild is Unlikely

I’m not sure we even tackle projects of this size anymore.  China does it, but we finance construction when we buy that country's cheap trinkets.  And owls, fish, and lead poisoning aren’t barriers in that part of the world.

What do you think?