Page 79 of Concrete Evidence
No way could she sleep on the road when Marc needed instructions to help her with the inspection. She gambled on the Army Corps of Engineers to allow her admittance. Marc claimed she had permission, but the military had a way of changing their minds. She stared up at the sky, noting the colors of peach and blue ushering in dawn. Granddad said sunrises always brought a promise of God watching out for us.
“We might need a shovel, hard hats, rock hammer, watertight boots, and snake leggings,” she said. “We can get those in the storage shed behind the office.”
“Diving equipment?”
“Not for us. The job needs trained divers who know the dangers. I’m glad the team has us on the schedule before Hurricane Braxton delivers heavy rain.”
“How many on the team?”
“Usually five. Two divers, a top-sider, spotter, and a dive master who monitors the adherence to the dive plan onshore.”
“I have zero background in dam construction. This guy needs help.”
She laughed. “The diver uses an underwater camera to record the inspection. We’ll know something when the divers surface.”
They loaded up his truck bed, and Marc opened the passenger door. “Gorgeous premorning. I never want to take a new day for granted.”
He sounded like a younger version of Granddad, who always tried to have an attitude of gratitude. She hoisted her backpack onto the floorboard and buckled up. Once on the road and after a few sips of coffee, she turned to business. “I’ll need your help today, if you don’tmind. I’ll be snapping pics and making notes, but anything you see that is questionable, please let me know. We have about twenty surface inspection points and a few instruments to check. I might need you to record details on your phone.”
“Hey, I’m ready to do whatever is needed. But this is your wheelhouse.”
“You’d know a crack or leak if you saw one?”
“Yep.”
“And if a spillway was overgrown?”
“Sure.”
“Low spots where water flow could condense and erode the dam?”
“Yep.”
“Wet ground that should be dry? Sinkholes?”
“Yep.”
“Since this is a new concrete construction and we’ve passed Texas inspections twice, none of those things I mentioned should appear. My biggest concern is the structural foundation below the surface that can cause cracks invisible to surface inspection.” Her thoughts swept back over Texas’s safety standards for engineers. “We use various computer programs in the preconstruction and construction phases to avoid a critical failure. We also employ unmanned aerial vehicles or UAVs to develop 3D models of the project. The technology provides information to avoid and prevent accidents.”
“If a structural crack is found, how long does it take to repair?”
Avery reached for the bag of breakfast sandwiches. “Longer than we have with the storm coming in. Pray the hurricane makes a turn and heads back out into the Gulf.” She handed him an egg, bacon, cheese, and jalapeño sandwich, still warm, and a napkin.
“Where do we begin this morning?”
“By walking and observing. Probably boring to you, and it will get sticky hot.”
He took a bite, then grabbed his coffee. “I hadn’t expected this to be spicy. Definitely woke me up. My stomach might have an acid leak.”
“Better your stomach than the dam.”
His demeanor sobered. “Thousands of people are in the floodplain. Could mean a mandatory evacuation.”
She stared out at the highway. “It’s impossible to stop thinking about how many people could be affected. Innocent kids and adults. Imagine the property and home damage. Marc, we must find answers this morning.”
“Have you been on-site when an Army Corps dive team is working?”
“Yes. Their job isn’t easy—demanding and takes time. Many are volunteers. I talked to a man who’d been diving for the Army Corps about six years. He claimed the divers depended on each other and were like family. The work underwater is dark, making it unpredictable.”
