Tempe Town Lake Goes Down the Drain!

When a balloon pops, it’s loud but no big deal. But what if that balloon was 240 feet long, weighed 40 tons and held back almost a billion gallons of water? When something like that pops, it’s definitely a big deal.

Lucas Henderson, 13, and his family were riding their bikes along Tempe Town Lake on the evening of July 20. Lucas says they heard a giant boom at around 9:44 p.m., followed by the roar of rushing water.

The 2-mile-long lake was created 10 years ago by putting up huge inflatable rubber dams across the bed of the Salt River. Unfortunately, one of the four dams at the west end of the lake had burst, sending a wall of water into the dry riverbed.

The top priority of Tempe officials was keeping people safe from the flash flood. “I was notified within about 10 minutes (and) was on the scene by about 10:10 p.m.,” says Tempe Mayor Hugh Hallman. “Our folks had already kicked into high gear, following the emergency plans that we had in place. They made sure that the river bottom was clear of people.”

By the next day, the 13-foot-deep lake shrank to a giant, smelly mud puddle. “Obviously, we don’t like the town lake to be the town lake bed,” the mayor explains, adding that the smell is going away as things dry out.

City officials and the dam maker, Bridgestone, already knew the rubber dams were weakening much faster than expected under the intense desert sun.

Arizona Game and Fish checked things out, too. “There were very few fish left. Most of the water and the fish had gone downstream,” explains Game and Fish spokesperson Rory Aikens. “Our biggest concern was the dying fish attracting large birds like turkey vultures, possibly becoming a hazard for (airline) traffic coming in and out of Sky Harbor (the nearby airport).” A private company is removing the fish.

(See related story on page 13.) “Tempe Town Lake was a huge draw—it was a tremendous fishing lake. It’s a favorite place for my family to go recreate,” Aikens shares. Each year, 2.5 to 3 million visitors enjoy the lake!

Plans were already rolling to replace the dams. Two of the four new dams have already arrived from Japan. This time around, they’ll be shaded by a new pedestrian bridge that includes a cooling system, too.

The mayor hopes to have the lake refilled by Nov.1, in time for the big Ironman Arizona triathlon on Nov. 21. Tempe officials want to install a more permanent design within the next five years. “We’ll be working very diligently to get the best long-term solution and the best permanent solution we can,” Mayor Hallman says.

Billionaires to Donate Much of Their Wealth

Forty of some of the wealthiest people in the United States have promised to give up at least half of their fortunes to help others.

The effort is DUBBED “The Giving Pledge,” and is led by billionaires Warren Buffett and Bill and Melinda Gates. Buffett is the famous chairman and chief executive officer of Berkshire Hathaway, a giant holding company that owns and runs several smaller companies and also invests in stocks.

Bill Gates is the founder and former head of Microsoft. He and his wife, Melinda, focus their attention on making life better for others, especially in poorer areas of the world.

For the past year, Buffett and the Gates have held dinners with other American billionaires to talk about the bad economy’s effects on giving. For the past two years, donations to charities have dropped at a time when charities are needed more than ever!

The Giving Pledge “invite(s) the wealthiest individuals and families in America to commit to giving the majority of their wealth to philanthropy.” Early this month, Buffett announced that 40 of the super rich had accepted the pledge! (Go to http://givingpledge.org to see the list and what the billionaires have to say about the importance of giving.)

Buffett says he was surprised at how quickly these people (like George Lucas creator of Star Wars, media mogul Ted Turner and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg) made the big commitment. Together they hope to inspire people young and old to help others, either by donating money, time or expertise.