Herbert Hoover Dike being prepared for hurricane season

As you prepare for this year’s hurricane season, a monumental mission is underway to make sure the Herbert Hoover Dike is leak-free and safe.

It’s hard to see how high up you are when standing on top of the Herbert Hoover Dike, but it is easy to see how many thousands of lives depend on the highest level of strength.

“It is a daily reminder that the public is right there, and they really do rely on us. We’re fortunate to be the ones out here doing that job,” said Mark Claudio, a structural engineering technician working on flood risk management.

Claudio is a significant muscle behind the dike. It’s his job to check for damages or do repairs almost every day.

“It’s a big responsibility, and we take it seriously. We do the best we can,” said Claudio.

Part of doing the best is the construction around the 143-mile-long dike. The roadway on top of it isn’t just a road. Below it, a giant cut-off wall made out of a concrete slurry holds back water that could try to seep through.

“It’s a big wall, it’s big, strong, it’s designed to keep that there and that there,” said Claudio.

Keeping the water in has been an effort since the 1920s after a hurricane caused the lake to spill its banks, killing thousands of people.

The dike then was built with gravel, rock and limestone. Today, it is stronger than ever.

The gravel, rock and limestone used decades ago never washed away, but now, those same types of stones are above ground, ready to plug a leak at any moment.

“In case there ever is a breach around the lake, we have these piles of stone. We call them armor stone,” said Claudio.

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