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City to be blasted by alarm system By Myles Murphy Ashland Daily Tidings Ashlanders will be treated to a test of the Hosler Dam warning system - wailing sirens designed to sound up and down the Ashland Creek corridor if the dam which holds back Reeder Reservoir should fail. The City of Ashland will be testing the four new sirens between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday and, if necessary, between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. on Tuesday. "The dam has been evaluated many different ways and there are no known problems," Ashland Associate Engineer Peter Smeenk said, adding that the $230,000 system was put in place in the unlikely event of a sudden dam failure. If the dam at Reeder Reservoir suddenly broke, it would send more than 260 million gallons of water down the canyon and through Lithia Park, Ashland's Plaza, washing out Water Street and most of the area between Oak and Helman streets well past Nevada Street - in less than eight minutes, according to Ashland Public Works Director Paula Brown. The water would push upstream along Bear Creek, spreading out in the wide fields this side of Interstate 5, and also downstream, covering parts of Highway 66 and even Interstate 5, surging through Talent and finally ending its rampage near Phoenix. About 280 residents would be directly affected by a dam failure, according to city staff. All residents in the expected inundation zone have been sent postcards by the city to warn of Monday's test, and the Ashland Chamber of Commerce will canvas downtown businesses to inform owners of what's going on. While a dam failure is unlikely, the city is required by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to have an early warning system of some kind. During the test, three spoken messages will be aired. Each siren will be tested separately and repeatedly to ensure it is functioning properly. The sirens are in four different locations and will be tested in the following order: Bowmer Theatre near the downtown Plaza area; the Ashland Parks and Recreation Department near the upper end of Granite Street in Lithia Park; the dog park near the wastewater treatment plant off Oak Street; and, by Mike's Muffler, 1910 Highway 99, across from Butler Ford. All the sirens are located more than 100 feet from the nearest residences on 40-foot poles. The Monday alarms will sound at just 25 percent of full power. "We want to minimize disruption," Smeenk said. At full power, the alarms produce noise equivalent to a chainsaw for people 100 yards away, according to Smeenk, and at 25-percent power, the wails will be less jarring. A full-power test is planned for June, and will include some evacuation testing. For more information contact Peter Smeenk at the Public Works Department at 488-5347. LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -