The Challenge of an Active Volcano
The eruption of Mount St. Helens in southwest Washington on May 18, 1980, was a major disaster. It claimed 57 lives and impacted hundreds of thousands more. It turned 150 square miles of prime timber country into gray wasteland, spewed tons of ash in a wide swath eastward, and unleashed avalanches of mud and debris along river channels flowing toward population centers to the west.
The federal government spent over $1 billion for Mount St. Helens recovery since May 18, 1980. Nearly half of the money was used for work planned, designed, engineered, contracted and supervised by the Army Corps of Engineers. But in spite of high visibility and intense public interest in the Mount St. Helens recovery program, much of this work will never be seen. It takes the form of floods that will not happen, homes and communities that will not be destroyed, river traffic that will flow smoothly. It represents unprecedented achievements of coordination and problem solving under emergency conditions. Travelers on the new Spirit Lake Memorial Highway will be able to stand on Johnston Ridge above Coldwater Lake and look directly into the caldera of the volcano. They will see the land growing green again, the deer and elk returning, the young eagles soaring. But they will not see the waters of Spirit Lake coursing through a tunnel in solid rock far beneath their feet, or the sediment rising behind the SRS in the river valley.
The eruption of Mount St. Helens was a unique event. Ready-made answers did not exist. The Corps had to develop answers quickly, creatively and diligently in response to immediate and long-term needs. The knowledge and expertise gained from this response will serve the nation well for generations to come.
The Portland District, US Army Corps of Engineers became the first and only Corps district in the continental US with an active volcano on its hands-- a challenge not just to serve but also to learn. We invite you to explore the following topics to learn more about the work the Corps completed at Mount St. Helens:
- Before the Eruption
- The Crisis and Response
- The Long-Term Solutions
- The Spirit Lake Tunnel
- The Sediment Retention Structure [SRS]
- Chronology of Events
- Visiting the SRS
Next page- Before the Eruption >>