That bit about chemical storage containers triggers a comment from me about a failing dam at an old local lake constructed a long time ago. Here is some Wiki info on the lake:

Introduction

Buckeye Lake is a reservoir in Fairfield, Licking, and Perry Counties in the U.S. state of Ohio.[1] It was the first large reservoir built in America and became Ohio’s first state park in 1949. Built near the highest point of elevation between the watersheds of the Scioto and Muskingum Rivers, it was constructed to supply water for the Ohio and Erie Canal system. The village of Buckeye Lake grew up on the shores of the lake.

History

As early as the 1750’s, the area that would become Buckeye Lake was described as a great swamp known as “Buffalo Lick”. The main Indian Trails between the Ohio River and the Miami towns passed by this swamp.[2] Construction of a dike to block the South Fork of the Licking River occurred between 1826 and 1830, to provide a source of water for the Ohio and Erie Canal.[3] When filled in 1830, the lake was known as Licking Summit Reservoir. The canal between Lake Erie and the Ohio River was opened in 1833. In May 1894, the canal having fallen mostly out of use, the lake was repurposed for recreation, the area being dedicated as a public park and renamed “Buckeye Lake”. The railroads that had put the canal out of business now brought summer visitors and a town and resort grew up around the lake.

Anyway, the dam is failing and the US Army Corps of Engineers wants it totally drained and/or the dam rebuilt.

Over the past twenty or so years the area has exploded from a sleepy little village miles from the big city of Columbus to an Upper Class community of big houses crowding the shores. All those new people built their new ‘escape from the city’ homes to be a part of new upscale community and now their scenic lake is in trouble and they don’t like it.

Now there are groups opposed to draining the lake and they want alternatives. I guess they have already installed some kind of a big alarm system to let everyone know the damn is going and to get the hell out of there.

The corps is pretty sure the dam is going to go sometime. Their report was the dam failure was imminent. Sounds pretty official and assured. I guess you could joke it is damming.

So, the point. The lake has always been nice, but I remember some rumbling about the dam many years ago back before the community grew up all rich-like. Now that everyone is invested in property they seem to be willing to risk lives to keep the pretty lake instead of doing the right things so that maybe in the future, they get their lake back.

I guess I see this local story like so many larger national/world events. People are willing to ignore warnings of how bad things are getting so they can hold off the pain, costs and problems of taking the real issues on. And at the same time totally willing to go about it all the wrong way so long as they get what they want now even if it all goes to hell and people are killed and whole areas of a little town and maybe even parts of Interstate 70 get taken out and all need rebuilt.

What that hell is wrong with us? Have we totally lost reality in this country.

A dam. Police departments. Healthcare. International negotiations. Just gloss over the issues don’t upset my pretty little view(s)!

And with that…good day. Time to get busy. I’ll be lurking to catch the news on the elections in Israel and whatever else goes on in this wacky world…now with even more wackiness.