Posted on 05/24/2015 3:07:47 PM PDT by infool7
Fremont (KRON) — Fremont police say vandals attacked an inflatable dam on Alameda Creek that resulted in the loss of nearly 50 million gallons of water.
Police believe that those responsible entered a restricted area sometime on Thursday morning and intentionally damaged the dam.
“The dam, which is instrumental to the Alameda County Water District’s water supply operations, suffered irreversible damage,” police said.
According to police, more than 150 acre-feet of water – or 49 million gallons – washed past the destroyed dam and into the San Francisco Bay.
With California enduring a crippling four-year drought and no signs of immediate relief, the water in the Alameda Creek was to have been percolated into the Niles Cone Groundwater Basin for use by residents and businesses in Fremont, Newark, and Union City as a critical water supply.
“This amount of water is enough to supply the needs of approximately 500 homes for one year,” police said.
District staff was able to quickly open upstream diversions, allowing water which would have been impounded behind the dam to flow into nearby groundwater recharge facilities, thus eliminating further water loss.
“This is a very significant loss of water under any circumstances, and more so in the drought conditions we are experiencing,” said ACWD General Manager Robert Shaver. “It is an utterly senseless, destructive, and wasteful thing to do.”
The District does not believe it will have a long-term impact on its water supply operations.
The vandalized dam is one of a pair ACWD maintains on Alameda Creek. The dams are large, heavy-duty devices, which can be inflated to impound needed water or deflated to allow water to flow through the creek in storm conditions.
Anyone with information about this crime is encouraged to contact Detective A. Ceniceros at Aceniceros@fremont.gov or (510) 790-6900.
No worries one of few pet peeves the news folk are the worst offenders and any big rig crash the say jack knives gahhhhhhh
Are those pidgins on the dam, did the Eco-Nazis use mind control gas/spray to make the pidgins sabotage the rubber duck dam?
Maybe the dam was suffering from poop decay.
It was 30 years old and they were planning to replace it anyway.
very informative, thanks
You’re welcome, I like your suggestions, that’d take the wind outta their sails.
They should walk the plank, arrrr.
Aye, shiver me timbers mateee. It isn’t even national talk like a pirate day. ARrrrrr
Or release the beavers.
The vandals should be easy to spot, and can’t be far off — it’s difficult to make a decent getaway with their heads up their asses.
That’s got a ring to it.
Cry foul and let slip the beavers of havoc.
or something like that.
That picture calls for a sandworm like the one in Dune.
I understand that Fremont has a rather high crime rate. terrorist would want to make a bigger splash.
I'm still betting that the recent oil pipe leak will turn out to be man made, sabotage similar to this dam breach.
About that dam: My grandfather worked building the aqueduct to L.A. and my father worked on those rubber dams as early as the 'fifties. The aqueduct is now being restricted and my lawn is dead.
The dams were tough and used just as stated in the article, they held river water for diversion into percolating basins which, in theory at least, added to ground water levels.
(Which process was necessary because the L.A. river channel had been paved over as flood control, and still flows tons of water into the Pacific, drought or no drought.)
Thanks for posting the dam pictures.
“either some stupid punk is going to post a video of he and his buddies slicing open the damn..or some terrorist group will take credit for it.”
Blacque Jacque Shellacque?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vq6h4mtnaM8
At 3:48 in that one video you can see a fish swim up over the dam. That cutie counting the fish needs to know. How can I get in touch with her? ;)
Blacque Jacque Shellacque? in reverse, yep
ahahaha Youre welcome..
It struck after looking at it a few times...that the thing looks a bit like the worlds longest dophin..from the perspective of tha photograph,
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