Tempe Town Lake dam blows, blasts away homeless

It was to have lasted a quarter of a century or more, that Tempe Town Lake dam. The inflatable rubber dam created Town Lake for the city of Tempe, Arizona, a tourist destination and point of civic pride for residents. But one wonders what Tempe thinks about one of the 11-year-old dam pillows having blown, as the Associated Press reports. 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 significant property damage as yet. Area residents said they heard a loud “ka-boom” and felt the ground shake near Arizona State University. Seconds afterward, witnesses saw animals fleeing the scene. After various minutes, safety alarms began to sound. It is unclear at this time if homeless persons within the Salt River bed heard the warning or not.

One billion gallons, flowing out at 15,000 cubic feet per second

That’s the flow at Tempe Town Lake, says Mayor Hugh Hallman. As far back as 2007, experts reportedly knew the Arizona climate was wreaking havoc with the structural integrity of the rubber dam. But nothing was done. Two years later, engineers advised Tempe government to act, to no effect.

Wither the people without homes?

While the alarm was sounded, currents reports are unclear as to what affect the Tempe Town Lake dam explosion had on the transient population. This could all just be mechanical failure and bureaucratic inaction. But if the fiscal angle is taken through the lens of the cost of homelessness, other possibilities emerge. Various media sources indicate that chronic homelessness costs the United States $ 10.95 billion each year in public funds. If such individuals were given permanent homes, Forbes reports that that expense would drop to $ 7.88 billion.

There will be residency

Tempe’s home country of Maricopa County has 8,000 homeless people daily, reports AZCentral.com. 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