Engineers to Drain Water from Glacier to Prevent Disaster
To avert a repeat of a disaster that occurred more than 100 years ago, French engineers will soon begin draining water from a lake located underneath a glacier.
A lake that has built up underneath an Alpine glacier on Mont Blanc, in France, poses a flood risk for residents of the area, but engineers have started work on draining the lake safely to avoid disaster. The same phenomenon of the built-up water supply occurred over 100 years ago and killed 175 people in massive flooding. This time around, those in charge appear to have learned from history. Engineering specialists are drilling into the glacier in order to prepare to pump out 2,275,000 cubic feet of water, enough to fill 26 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
Thus far, the operation, which will cost around $2.5 million, is going according to plan, the water removal is expected to start very soon and then continue until at least October, according to Mayor Jean-Marc Peillex. Noted Peillex of the efforts, "The town didn’t want to wait for a catastrophe. We are taking action to prevent one." The glacier itself is located about 10,560 feet up Mont Blanc, and has long been a popular area for climbers.
Scientists first notified authorities of the trapped water back in March and since then actions have been put in place to begin the operation. At present, an alarm system is also in place to warn nearby residents in case of flooding. The alarm system will offer residents as much as 30 minutes to evacuate the area. Noted Peillex, "Once they take out the first few dozen cubic meters, that doesn’t mean there will be zero risk, but there won’t be at all the same level of stress that there is today."
Thus far, the operation, which will cost around $2.5 million, is going according to plan, the water removal is expected to start very soon and then continue until at least October, according to Mayor Jean-Marc Peillex. Noted Peillex of the efforts, "The town didn’t want to wait for a catastrophe. We are taking action to prevent one." The glacier itself is located about 10,560 feet up Mont Blanc, and has long been a popular area for climbers.
Scientists first notified authorities of the trapped water back in March and since then actions have been put in place to begin the operation. At present, an alarm system is also in place to warn nearby residents in case of flooding. The alarm system will offer residents as much as 30 minutes to evacuate the area. Noted Peillex, "Once they take out the first few dozen cubic meters, that doesn’t mean there will be zero risk, but there won’t be at all the same level of stress that there is today."
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