Construction Time-Lapse Shows the Step-by-Step Removal of a Dam
The 38-foot-high Gold Ray Dam had spanned Oregon’s Rogue River for 106 years by the time Jackson County decided enough was enough. A defunct hydroelectric facility that hadn’t been operational since the early 70s, it was one of the last fish barriers still up along the Rogue River. In other words: it had to go.
In the spirit of documenting the experience, the folks at HDRinc decided to employ time-lapse photography to capture the process of methodically tearing down the dam from start to finish.
The video shows how a construction company has to go about removing a huge structure that happens to be holding back a ton of water. It’s not something to be undertaken lightly and, well, there’s always the chance that someone could get hurt if something goes wrong.
Of course, that’s not the only way to go about removing a dam. Although the removal of the Gold Ray Dam did include a failure that had the reservoir empty much faster than they intended, that was an unfortunate accident. The video above shows what happens when “dam removal” translates into “blow a hold in the darn thing.”
It’s up to you to decide which is the better method, but we certainly have our opinion on which one is cooler to watch.
(via Reddit)
