Las Vegas Sun

December 2, 2009

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Old Carson River power dam blown up

Thursday, Oct. 30, 1997 | 9:25 a.m.

The dam, built in the early 1900s to provide power to the Ruhenstroth area just south of here, had been abandoned for years. During that time, several people had been killed diving off the structure into the river.

Richard Mirgon, emergency management director for Douglas County, said Fallon Naval Air Station explosives experts volunteered to reduce a remaining 60-foot-wide, 30-foot high section of the dam to rubble.

There was no surge of mud or rock because the river is low now and high runoffs last winter washed out most of the silt that had built up behind the dam.

"It sounded just like a sonic boom. You could visually see the dam fall apart in pieces, and a moment later you felt the air compress. There was a dull boom," said Mirgon, who watched from a point about 400 yards downstream.

Workers also filled in a swimming hole at the base of the dam. The total cost was about $20,000, paid through county, state and federal sources.

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