BEND, Ore. (AP) — Federal workers are testing the Ochoco Dam in central Oregon to see if it can withstand a giant earthquake off the Oregon coast.
The Bulletin newspaper in Bend reports the Ochoco Dam was built about 90 years ago using a method called hydraulic fill, which involves taking material from the hillside and using water to sluice it down to an embankment, creating an earthen dam.
Officials say dams built using this technique don’t fare as well as other types of dams in earthquakes.
U.S. Bureau of Reclamation crews are drilling test holes in the dam to analyze the strength of its foundation. The dam on Ochoco Creek is about five miles upstream from Prineville.
