Engineers survey damage Washington Monument

The Park Service is doing a careful scrutiny of the Washington Monument to assess damage caused by the earthquake 23 Aug. which hit the area. The downgraded opened cracks in the 555-foot Obelisk, and the Park Service says that it will be closed, indefinitely, while repairs are made. There are no serious structural problems, but concerns remain, the debris could cause that a security risk.

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MICHELE NORRIS, host: NPR news, this is all viewed. I'm Michele Norris.

MELISSA BLOCK, host:, and I'm Melissa block.

The Washington Monument, here in the nation's capital, attracts some real stares this week. Workers are on the 555-foot-high Obelisk to increase hanging from ropes. The monument suffered some serious damage last month East Coast earthquake. It is closed for an indefinite period.

And as us says NPR Larry Abramson, a stone for stone inspection from the outside has begun the National Park Service.

LARRY ABRAMSON: Early today, a brave man in a helmet peeped window at the top of the monument and got out. Risk of the obvious, it is not something you see every day.

PAT CULVIN: Oh, it's free until there - at the top of the thing.

DIANA CULVIN: Oh, man.

PAT CULVIN: We could not believe that.

DIANA CULVIN: Wait, until I tell people at home.

(SOUNDBITE LAUGHTER)

ABRAMSON: House is Forsythe (Illinois), Diana and Pat Culvin(ph). They were part of a collection of tourists and photo fool, who knew that today the best view from the ground. People just stand and staring at the sky.

Two workers spent much of today, use of ropes to the top of the monument. These ropes below colleagues, secures the sides of the stone building and check carefully the facade. Here is Bill, spokesman for the Park Service.

BILL LINE: they go to everyone to check each stone. This is probably a four to five days process provided that weather is working with us. , If there is any Flash or thunderstorms in the area, we stop this undoubtedly.

ABRAMSON: As soon as the Earth the Park Service of this elegant pillar more than Washington's other buildings suffered shake on August 24th stopped, realized. The Park Service published a video shows the top-level platform, which violently shake. Damage was particularly serious. Engineers say the monument are structurally sound, but they have found water large cracks, which during the last rain and hurricanes.

Spokesman Bill line says that this discovery led to start the Park Service in this lengthy review. And that is just the beginning.

Line: Then would have Park Service, move to the phase of the repair, what they are documented. After the repair the Park Service to the engineering firm has back, to certify that the repairs to the satisfaction of, are carried out, before we ever open to the public.

ABRAMSON: The Park Service turned the engineering firm of WISs, Janney and Elstner Northbrook, Illinois, for the job. It's hard to write, while the sheer wall from the side, says Project Manager Dan Lemieux, that the climbers with spotters will work down.

DAN LEMIEUX: The people on the ground the survey have, in 2000-99 and 2000 - as a reference. And they will work with these data sheets and then listen and absorb what find our Rappelers on the monument.

Some said they felt queasy just think up so high. Her husband, son, Erik, saw Schalyn Sohn(ph) and their two children to work tethered on the stone. She says she is not nervous.

SCHALYN son: only carefully be and take your time. We expect at the bottom.

ABRAMSON: With the monument for most of us is inaccessible it was suddenly more interesting than ever. Locals, that this thing barely give a second thought came with their cameras. Julie Stuehser(ph) drove the 40 miles of Stafford (Virginia) to a shot of the man at the end of the needle.

JULIE STUEHSER: This is a crazy, crazy picture. It's like an Ant on a popsicle stick, from which is been whittled down to a point.

(SOUNDBITE LAUGHTER)

ABRAMSON: The people at the base spoke lovingly of the monument clustered and seemed touched by the way it still is maintained is 126 years after it was dedicated to. For a moment, government spending seemed like a bad word - Although resident Maria ROC said, heard the young daughter of the project, she thought local, that it was related to the budget crisis.

MARIA ROC: And she did not know that it was related to the security and the earthquake. And she think that it was idea of the Government money and tourists from the monument conversation handle to get.

ABRAMSON: Maybe not such a bad idea. Larry Abramson, NPR news, Washington.

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HEALTH MANAGEMEN.. Workers start dismantling dams in Washington

Teams begin dismantling the two dams on the Elwha River on Washington's Olympic Peninsula Thursday. By some measures, this is the largest dam-remove project ever - and at 210 feet, one of the dams, the highest dam is certainly ever taken off. The process is a very difficult thing - on engineering, ecology and politics - but environmentalists hope this project marked the beginning of the end of the era of large dams in the American West. Those who like big dams, for economic reasons, have to worry about the same thing. Michele Norris talks to NPR's Martin caste.

MELISSA BLOCK, host: people are good at the construction of dams. There are an estimated 75,000 to American rivers. But we have not much exercise, remove it. In the State of Washington is now changing.
(SOUNDBITE OF BEAT)
BLOCK: Workers have begun to cut the highest dam in the concrete on the 210-foot tall Glines Canyon Dam, ever taken off. It is part of an ambitious dam remove project on the River ELWA in the Olympic National Park. NPR Martin caste migrated a good look at the demolition work at a job above the River, and he is now on the line with us. See Martin, what from your Vista you?
MARTIN KASTE: well, actually I'm sitting on a piece of old driftwood, an old log, which was probably deforested in the 1920s when here, this dam was built. The Lake is slowly descending and a number of workers are side of the reservoir on a barge here on the other hand upstream and they are – they have just begun jack hammers, into the concrete itself. You begin to book to the top of it. And what they do leave dam down, is slowly but surely, notch in the next few months the water come in small doses.
MICHELE NORRIS, host: You know how you for us to continue to paint this picture, help us understand why so much work to take needs one of these massive structures.
KASTE: Well, we, on the radio, hoped there would be the way of them only where what is thing, it would be a great scene bubbles. But you can not do because it's almost a century worth of sediment, which is set up behind the dam. And the sediment, dirt and mud, his tight, beautiful valley would go careening. And in fact could kill it, you try to save the River, the.
NORRIS: Why remove them these dams, anyway?
KASTE: Well, it is about restoration. The Elwha River flows through the Olympic National Park. It's a nice place. But this dam has in fact performed, which is formerly a tremendous salmon run. Several species of salmon that come directly from the Pacific Ocean. This was their first stop in the Puget Sound. And there are stories of 100-pound salmon to spawn in the River come.
Of course the two dams that are on this River have made since the 1920s impossible, more than four miles to get up it. Quite simply a push against the concrete wall. So it has a nice, very productive salmon spawning River removed. But it is also only restore, which is a very natural spot.
This is the Olympic National Park. This is a river that had never large development, so that to bring back to their natural state of the Park.
NORRIS: You know, when I hear you speak about one hundred years of sediment, I wonder if it really possible, River dammed and return it in its natural state.
KASTE: This is the big question. This is why so many people are watching this. There are dozens and dozens of scientists, which in fact are building their careers to this project, because this is a perfect test case, a wonderful situation controls where you can see whether you can restore a flow as follows.
A factor, a factor on this river the dams are unnatural. And they want every aspect of this monitor and find out if it is possible. As it is, means that much for other dam projects remove or potential removal of dam projects around the country.
NORRIS: Congress adopted legislation authorize this dam removal in 1992. Why has it taken so long to reach up to moment to finally the process?
KASTE: It really is policy. The politics of dam-removal is complicated, especially in the West, where dams traditionally as a symbol of progress, of economic vitality were seen. And you know, in the 1990s there was resistance to take them, even if it is not too much power to produce. There is some concern among people in parts of the West, that this really only one large dam removal project harbinger of perhaps more cause for controversy is dam remove projects in the future.
Many eyes are River-feeds on the Snake River in the Columbia. These are very controversial dams; They have been tied up in lawsuits for years, and the question is, well, if this goes well, the people concerned want to these dams for economic reasons are that it could be the next.
NORRIS: Martin caste, thank you.
KASTE: Gern happen.
NORRIS:, the NPR Martin is caste. He is on the Glines Canyon Dam on the River Elwha in the Olympic National Park in the U.S. State of Washington.

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