Think Out Loud

The city of Newport’s water supply depends on two dams which, like more than 70 others in the state of Oregon, are considered “high hazard” dams. Recently city officials conducted a public tour to highlight structural instability that would result in catastrophic failure in the event of certain — even moderate — earthquakes. The legislature allocated $4 million toward dam replacement, but the overall funding for the project is close to $70 million. They’re still years away from fully funding the necessary construction. We hear from Timothy Gross, director of public works and a city engineer at the City of Newport.