USA, AZ/Tempe: Former Salt River Dam After Heavy Rains Editorial Photo

This - now historic - dam dams up Rio Salado/Salt River in Tempe, Arizona/USA. This dam is now substituted by a new one. Usually the river bed is completely dry but on September 8, 2014 torrential rains filled the reservoir (Tempe Town Lake) to the brim and had to be released into the river bed. The flow of the water was regulated by this rubber dam. The rubber was bolted to concrete slabs. An operating system controlled the inflation and deflation of the rubber tubes. Each section of the dam (>bladder) was about 225 feet (68,6 m) long, weighed 10 tons and was one inch (2,5 cm) thick. The rubber tubes had special ozone and UV protection for the Arizona climate. To protect the rubber further, a pedestrian bridge (with sun sails above the slabs) was built to shade the rubber; background: Tempe Center of the Arts on the right; US Airways Center on the left.