The massive lake of over 66 billion gallons of water formed by a landslide during the earthquake, threatened more than 1.3 million people downstream as it rose to a depth of over 2300 feet. The plan was to dig a channel to allow rising water to flow out and in the process wash away the landslide in a controlled fashion. If the dam were to burst all at once the results would have been devastating. A channel was dug as fast as possible as the water formed behind the dam on the Tongkou River, also known as the Jianjiang, forming Tangjiashan Lake. As the lake rose and started to drain through the channel it began to wash away the landslide at a rate slow enough for the river below to handle the output, averting a crisis.
The landslide that formed the dam
Forming a channel for the rising lake to overflow through
As the lake rises it begins to flow through the constructed channel
As the lake continues to rise it begins to wash away the dam, but at a rate that is acceptable
There are more than 30 other lakes forming from landslides, but they are not considered as dangerous as this lake.
The landslide that formed the dam
Forming a channel for the rising lake to overflow through
As the lake rises it begins to flow through the constructed channel
As the lake continues to rise it begins to wash away the dam, but at a rate that is acceptable
There are more than 30 other lakes forming from landslides, but they are not considered as dangerous as this lake.
