A bus sized boulder fell off the cliffs along the west side of Madison Dam Monday morning putting a 30 ft. divot in the top of the dam where it remains lodged. It also took out the hydraulics that control several of the flood gates. The leaking lines also apparently leaked “15 or 20 gallons” of hydraulic fluid into the river but no fish kills have been reported. Water is apparently seeping out around the boulders impact area however, PPL officials assured the public that “the facility is in a stable condition and there is no need for public action”. I bet BP wish they could have pulled that statement off.
The really good news is that it’s not spring runoff and judging from the location it might be prudent to consider some kind of preventative measures for future rock (large boulder) falls. Its unclear so far what river flows will be like once draw down and repairs are underway.
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