Siren testing for new Tolt Dam alarm system in Carnation happening this week
Four new outdoor and five new indoor sirens have been installed in Carnation as part of the new Tolt Dam Early Warning System.
Seattle Public Utilities has completed the first phase of construction to replace the existing outdated system.
Now, the new sirens need to be tested.
The testing will occur this week on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday (July 11, 12, 14 and 15) between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Those in the Carnation area may hear loud sirens and see flashing alerts multiple times throughout the day.
Audio messages in English and Spanish, saying that the sirens are a test, will be played before and after each round of testing, so people will be aware that there is no emergency.
The new sirens will not be tested on Wednesday, July 13. The regular Wednesday at noon test of the existing dam alarm system will happen as usual.
The Tolt Dam is 16 miles upriver of Carnation.
If it fails, people must get out quickly, as the town could be under 30 feet of water in 90 minutes.
The reservoir behind Tolt Dam supplies 30% of the Seattle area’s drinking water.
Testing the system has not been without problems in the past. On Jan. 19 and Sept. 9, 2021, the weekly Wednesday test didn’t go off at all.
On July 28, 2020, a Tuesday, a false alarm sounded and created major panic.
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Seattle Public Utilities officials had issued a statement saying power outages had brought down the fiber optic network that delivered the audio warnings.
With the upgrade, the problems will hopefully be a thing of the past.
Once the testing is complete and the new early warning system is fully commissioned, it will likely be turned on later this summer.
The nine new sirens in Carnation that will be tested are located at:
1. 35805 NE 80th St (outdoor siren)
2. 6921 Tolt River Rd NE (outdoor siren)
3. 5502 Tolt River Rd NE (outdoor siren)
4. 32421 E Entwistle St (outdoor siren)
5. 334th Ave NE and Tolt River Road NE (outdoor siren)
6. 4950 Tolt Ave –Elementary School (indoor annunciator)
7. 3740 Tolt Avenue –Middle School (indoor annunciator)
8. 3944 320th Ave NE – Bus Facility (indoor annunciator)
9. 3600 Tolt Ave – Fire Station (indoor annunciator)
