Danger at Table Rock Dam

[DeepDiver75]

I am an avid diver on Table Rock and dive Dewey Short a few times a year due to the easy access to extremely deep walls. I have often times swam up and touched the dam face down at 100 ft and it is an exciting experience. While I understand your concerns, do you really think that we need more regulations to take away access to our public property? You can't strangle yourself in ever tightening govt. regulations to try and ward off the fear of being attacked again by terrorists. We all know how the govt is, give them an inch and they'll take a mile. What if they just decided that 1 mile was as close as anyone needed to be to the dam structures? I'm not willing to give up any more of my rights even if it is in the name of security. One other point, it would take more explosives than one man could carry on his back to do any serious damage to one of our major dams

[Thom]

To answer your question Yes I do think that some better regulation should be placed on accessing the face of a dam on the lake side. I also think that you should have the right to dive and enjoy your right to public property.

We just need to monitor who is there, when and for what purpose. According to what I have been told by the CORP this is not done or even attempted.

Without going into detail I will assure that a small team of three could place enough of the new generation explosives in a short time to dump Table rock into the valley below from a remote location with much less planning than was done for 9/11.

It would be simple to have some plan to monitor who dives at dam areas such as the ones we have at Bull shoals, table rock and lOZ to name a few that have vulnable valleys below.

[Phil Lilley]

Without going into detail I will assure that a small team of three could place enough of the new generation explosives in a short time to dump Table rock into the valley below from a remote location with much less planning than was done for 9/11.

Anyone want to buy a resort today??

[Thom]

I guess it is more important to collect fees at the boat ramps and generate power than safegard the multimillion structures we have.

It may be that there is some scrutiny in place but the COE did not respond to my inquiries because they didn't want to reveal it. I was just appalled that anyone with the money to buy scuba gear can...as one previous poster said...go down an place their on the wall of the dam from the lake side.

I believe we need to protect the rights of everyone to pursue their passion but we also need to protect everyone right to preserve that facility for the generations to come.

No one will ever see the real twin towers again. Foolish mistakes were made to allow that to happen and we all could not believe our eyes when we saw it happen.

[wildminnow]

Let me tell you if someone wanted to take down tablerock it would be as simple as getting a moving truck, and making a truck bomb the public parking lot is right there at the base of the darn I am by no means an expert, but Im guessing you could get close enough to succeed in your mission. How many tourist a day park down there? Leave your truck get picked up detonate from afar. The scary thing with a darn is that it naturally wants to come down. A hole in any part of it weakens the entire structure

[Terry Beeson]

Anyone want to buy a resort today??

I've got $4 in my pocket... you can have it all and I won't back out...

I'm no "terrorist expert" by any stretch of the imagination, however, I think we are really kidding ourselves if we think any terrorist group other than the "Free Branson Now Society" would even consider TRD a target when there are much more "interesting" targets that would merit a lot more attention. If they were to target a dam, I would think something along the lines of Hoover Dam or one that would wreak havoc on a group of people other than a few fishermen and golfers would be more of a primary target. Those that plan these things want the MOST bang for their buck - pun intended.

However, with that said, there is a need for more and better security primarily for the safety for the morons that will try to walk up to the foot of the dam... But then again, maybe Darwin does have a point...

[PowersiteProwler]

Lilley, how about a couple complimentary nights on the house to see if I am really intersted in purchasing the resort?

It's obvious that the thought of a terroist act has been considered by goverment or state agencies, leading to the posting of the sign at powersite I mentioned in my earlier post. It just amazes me that the thought a mere sign will stop someone from proceeding closer to the Dam or intentionally trying to breech it. Yes, it might stop the harmless person who is just curious, but the person that has intent to do something violent will laugh at the sign and follow through with the act.

Wildminnow, you are right on with the truck thing. Even more scary then the parking lot below is the fact that you DRIVE over table rock dam. How hard would it be to get 2-3 trucks on top of it at the same time and carry and act like that out?

Terry,

No disrespect,but your statement "I think we are all kidding ourselves?"

I don't think we can be too cautious about it. It isn't an issue any of us are trying to "kid" about. A major breech in a dam like table rock would give terroists the "bang for their buck." It would be a matter of just a few minutes before many lives would be lost down the lake. I doubt you can even get within a 1/2 mile of the hoover dam in your own car? Table Rock, yes may not be as popular of landmark as the hoover dam, but certainly with no security, is a much easier target.

[Terry Beeson]

TRD might be an "easier target" but my point is what value would it have to terrorists? Because it is in our "back yard" we worry about it. There are just too many "easy targets" out there that would have more of an impact. You noticed on 9/11 they chose the WTC and not Macy's... Bang for the buck...

I'm not going to debate further, but I will be below TRD this Friday barring any unforseen "honey-dos" and I won't be concentrating on looking for bin-Laden's followers parking at the top of the dam.

[wildminnow]

It is not a matter of if trd is number one on a list of damns to blow up, the issue is there is very little security. And terrorist don't just come from the middle east, and they dont only think of hitting major cities i.e. Oklahoma City truck bomb set off by an American. Why present an easy target when simple things could be done to make it a more difficult task to carry out. But if you really want to talk big bang for your buck think that they did not target only one place on 9-11, they would not target one darn either they would make plans for at a specific time maybe 50 damns go boom think about that

[PowersiteProwler]

Terry,

If your "honey do" list is anything like mine you take 2 things off and get 5 more added. Hopefully this weather will hold out for you and the list doesn't grow before Friday.

I don't think it's necessarily the Bin Ladens that we need to be conceanred about at a place like TRD, its the Timothy McVeighs and the Cho Seung-Hui's that we need to be concearned with. Those people who live in our area and are looking for creating local violence that attracts national/worldwide attention. One thing I know each of us agrees on is the hope this day never comes.