The Tempe Town Lake dam was supposed to last for 25 to 30 years, said the experts. The rubber blow-up dam containing Tempe Town Lake is a centerpiece of the Tempe, Arizona tourist trade. The Associated Press writes the 11-year-old rubber barrier had a blowout in one section. Thanks to the blowout, Tempe Town Lake will lose thousands of gallons of water (as much as three-quarters of the man-made lake) to the dry bed of the Salt River, where the homeless tend to live during the summer.
No injury reports at Tempe Town Lake
Media reports have revealed nothing concerning any injuries at Tempe Town Lake, and also the flood waters haven’t caused severe property damage as yet. Loud noises and trembling clued in people near the scene of the exploding dam. A few second after that, animals began to flee. Not long after that, an emergency siren split the night air. It is unclear at this time if homeless persons within the Salt River bed heard the warning or not.
One billion gallons out of Tempe Town
That’s the flow at Tempe Town Lake, says Mayor Hugh Hallman. City officials evidently knew back in 2007 that Tempe’s hot, dry climate was taking its toll on the rubber dam. Yet repair action was not taken at that time. By spring 2009, engineers told Tempe that Town Lake dam was in need of instant repair, but the city did nothing.
Is this about washing Tempe’s homeless away?
While the alarm was sounded, currents reports are unclear as to what affect the Tempe Town Lake dam explosion had on the transient population. Most consider this incident exploded rubber and government impotency. However, when the cost of homelessness is factored in, there could be fiscal import. Experts have found that it costs U.S. taxpayers almost $ 11 billion each year to help the chronically homeless. .
Low-cost housing is the life raft
In Maricopa County, where Tempe is located, AZCentral.com reports that you will find approximately 8,000 homeless individuals on any given day. If those 8,000 people – only some of whom may live within the Salt River area near Tempe Town Lake – had homes, not only would the nation be saving money, but Maricopa County would reportedly save as much as 50 percent on emergency resources. Tempe Town Lake and an exploding rubber dam may sound like comedy, but the possible impact on the homeless – even for the better, if they’re forced into housing – could provide something truly positive .
Sources
philly.com/philly/wires/ap/news/nation/20100721_ap_rubberizeddambreaksatmanmadearizonalake.html
azcentral.com/community/tempe/articles/2010/06/11/20100611tempe-homeless-outreach-united-way.html
forbes.com/2006/08/25/us-homeless-aid-cx_np_0828oxford.html
