Completely draining the waterfalls
Two years after the campaign to save the American Falls, the IJC founded the American Falls International Board. The board soon realized that an even more ambitious approach would be necessary. To solve the erosion problem, it seemed that they would have to find a way completely drain the falls.
Ultimately, a group of engineers from USACE took on this project. Soon they drew up a plan. During the 1966 approach, they had managed to reduce the volume of water flowing over the American Falls to 25 percent of its normal flow. This time, however, more drastic action was needed. So officials drew up a plan for a type of temporary construction known as a ‘cofferdam’.