SEATTLE - The U.S. Army Corps Engineers says contractors have wrapped up what it calls interim risk reduction measures on the Howard Hanson Dam.
The main feature of that work was the so called grout curtain. Contractors pumped thousands of gallons of a cement mixture into the earthen section of the dam. The grout finds and fills gaps and crevices which led to dangerous levels of seepage earlier this year.
The Corps still warns it will not allow the dam to fill up to its normal levels this winter, which may mean some flooding along the Green River. This week's steady rain storms have them carefully monitoring the river above and below the dam, but they say there is no risk of flooding at this point.
The Corps is much more concerned about relentless rains pounding the Kitsap Peninsula and the forecast calls for more of the same. The Corps has assumed control of the Wynoochie River Dam north of Aberdeen and has activated its flood center, meaning it will be staffed around the clock until rain and river levels go down.
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