Toutle River
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The Toutle River is a river in southwest Washington State, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It rises on the flanks of Mount St. Helens and joins the Cowlitz River near Castle Rock.
[edit] Eruption of Mt. St. Helens
The May 18, 1980 eruption of Mt. St. Helens and subsequent lahars poured vast amounts of sediment into the Toutle, which was formerly navigable. The US Army Corps of Engineers dredged 85 million m3 (110 million yd3) of sediment from the river and built a US$65 million sediment dam on the North Fork of the Toutle to keep it clear in the future. Part of the same engineering works is a tunnel to drain Spirit Lake whose natural outlet was blocked by the eruption.
[edit] External links
- Taming the Toutle River Seattle Times, October 25, 2004
