Earthquake Repair: Surveyors Checking Height Of Washington Monument
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Surveyors are checking to make sure that the Washington Monument is still 555 feet, 5 1/8 inches tall.
The survey is being conducted by the National Geodetic Survey and is the first of its kind since 1999. Surveyors can only access the peak of the monument to check the height when it's covered in scaffolding. The monument is undergoing repairs after it was damaged during a 5.8-magnitude earthquake in August 2011.
A survey conducted last year at the base of the monument found that it had not sunk any further into the ground after the earthquake. Surveyor Dru Smith says he has no reason to believe the height of the monument has changed.
The goal of the survey is to establish a definitive height that can be used as a reference point. Results of the new survey won't be available for around 2 to 3 months.
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