News Release Archive

Reclamation Employee Injured at Pinto Dam is Air-lifted to a Spokane Hospital

Media Contact: John Redding, (208) 383-2207, jredding@usbr.gov

For Release: December 23, 2013

EPHRATA, Wash. - A Bureau of Reclamation employee was seriously injured at an active construction site this morning at Pinto Dam located about 18 miles east of Ephrata, Wash. The injured employee was sent by way of life-flight to Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane, Wash.

The extent of the employee's injuries has not been determined at this time as the accident is currently being investigated. The injured worker fell about 35 feet onto a concrete surface below the dam.

The name of the injured employee is being withheld until official notification of the family has been confirmed. Emergency Medical Technicians from Grant County Fire District 12 and American Medical Response paramedics responded to the call around 8:30 am (PST).

Pinto Dam impounds Billy Clapp Lake just north of State Highway 28 in Grant County, Wash.

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The Bureau of Reclamation is a federal agency under the U.S. Department of the Interior and is the nation's largest wholesale water supplier and second largest producer of hydroelectric power. Our facilities also provide substantial flood control, recreation opportunities, and environmental benefits. Visit our website at https://www.usbr.gov and follow us on Twitter @USBR; Facebook @bureau.of.reclamation; LinkedIn @Bureau of Reclamation; Instagram @bureau_of_reclamation; and YouTube @reclamation.