by CHRIS DANIELS / KING 5 News
Posted on March 12, 2014 at 7:04 PM
Updated yesterday at 8:16 PM
NEAR GEORGE, Wash. – The Grant County Sheriff’s Office is warning people to stay away from the Columbia River. It’s the newest safety concern and the residual effect after a crack was found in the Wanapum Dam last month.
Crews discovered a 65-foot long crack in a spillway, and the Grant County PUD drained the reservoir behind it as a precaution.
Water levels have fallen close to 30 feet since the order went into effect.
According to the sheriff’s office, it has also uncovered soft soils which hadn’t seen the light of day in a half a century.
Grant County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Ken Jones says there have been at least four calls for help since the water levels dropped, including a pair of teenagers who were stuck in waist high mud.