密歇根新闻广播 大坝何时才能修复

Residents living around lake that vanished after dam failure say restoration the only option

In the weeks since the Edenville Dam failed, and flooded Midland, the focus has been on why it failed.

But the people who live upstream from the dam also want to know when, or if, they’ll get their lake back.

On a stormy morning last week, Robert Beltz stands on the green manicured lawn behind his beautiful two story home on Wixom Lake. The lawn extends to what used to be the water line.

“If you walk down toward the sea wall, and look down here, it looks like a desert,” Beltz said.

When the Edenville Dam failed on May 19, water rushed through the breach¹, draining much of Wixom Lake.

The lake is really a reservoir created in the 1920’s after a hydro-electric dam was built at the confluence² of the Tittabawassee and Tobacco Rivers. It would take years to restore Wixom Lake.

Last week, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer hedged when asked about rebuilding the dam.

“I’m inclined to say ‘yes’ but I think there is a lot more information that I need to have to give you the absolute certainty of what next steps look like. But the end goal is, of course, is to restore this community as well as we can to the greatness it was prior to this event,” Whitmer told reporters.

A spokesman for the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy says an investigation³ into the dam failure will determine “where we go with next steps in relation to whether or not to rebuild.”

Another option is to allow the rivers to return to their pre-1920 paths.

“There’s really no better way to bring a river back to life than removing a dam,” says Brian Graber, the senior director of river restoration for American Rivers, whose mission is to restore damaged rivers.

Graber says dams should be evaluated for public safety and ecological⁴ issues, as well as economic and recreational benefits.

“Rivers are volatile⁵. And with climate change they are even more volatile,” Graber said. “We really need to give rivers the space so that they can flood safely without expecting the infrastructure⁶ is going to stop that flooding.”

The Edenville Dam long ago went from producing electric power to powering Gladwin County’s economy.

Scott Govitz is the associate vice⁷ president of workforce⁸ and economic development at Mid-Michigan College. Govitz says tourism dollars and homes on the lake make up a significant part of the county’s sales and property tax base.

“We have a county that is so reliant upon tourism and these lakes and streams...that are jewels...that we must repair this and get back on our feet,” Govitz said. “The worst case scenario⁹ could be bankruptcies¹⁰ of magnitudes that we haven’t seen before.”

County officials are still assessing the economic impact of the dam failure and resulting flood. They are very concerned about the long-term hit of not having Wixom Lake.

At this point, it’s unclear how much it would cost to repair or replace the broken dam or who would pay.

For Wixom Lake homeowners like Robert Beltz, the suggestion that the dam might not get rebuilt is unthinkable.

“You’d see 10,000 people around this lake, they’d all be out with pitchforks and torches,” Beltz said. “None of them want to see the lake to disappear and I do not see that as an option.”

But the new view of Wixom Lake this summer will likely be the same for many years to come, nice homes overlooking mud flats with water trickling¹¹ through a broken dam.

1 breach   

n.违反，不履行；破裂；vt.冲破，攻破

参考例句：

• We won't have any breach of discipline.我们不允许任何破坏纪律的现象。
• He was sued for breach of contract.他因不履行合同而被起诉。

2 confluence   

n.汇合，聚集

参考例句：

• They built the city at the confluence of two rivers.他们建造了城市的汇合两条河流。
• The whole DV movements actually was a confluence of several trends.整个当时的DV运动，实际上是几股潮流的同谋。

3 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

4 ecological   

adj.生态的，生态学的

参考例句：

• The region has been declared an ecological disaster zone.这个地区已经宣布为生态灾难区。
• Each animal has its ecological niche.每种动物都有自己的生态位.

5 volatile   

adj.反复无常的，挥发性的，稍纵即逝的，脾气火爆的；n.挥发性物质

参考例句：

• With the markets being so volatile,investments are at great risk.由于市场那么变化不定，投资冒着很大的风险。
• His character was weak and volatile.他这个人意志薄弱，喜怒无常。

6 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

7 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

8 workforce   

n.劳动大军，劳动力

参考例句：

• A large part of the workforce is employed in agriculture.劳动人口中一大部分受雇于农业。
• A quarter of the local workforce is unemployed.本地劳动力中有四分之一失业。

9 scenario   

n.剧本，脚本；概要

参考例句：

• But the birth scenario is not completely accurate.然而分娩脚本并非完全准确的。
• This is a totally different scenario.这是完全不同的剧本。

10 bankruptcies   

n.破产( bankruptcy的名词复数 )；倒闭；彻底失败；（名誉等的）完全丧失

参考例句：

• It's a matter of record that there were ten bankruptcies in the town last year. 去年这个城市有十家破产是事实。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Business bankruptcies rose 50 percent over the previous year. 破产企业的数量比前一年增加５０％。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

11 trickling   

n.油画底色含油太多而成泡沫状突起v.滴( trickle的现在分词 )；淌；使)慢慢走；缓慢移动

参考例句：

• Tears were trickling down her cheeks. 眼泪顺着她的面颊流了下来。
• The engine was trickling oil. 发动机在滴油。 来自《简明英汉词典》