Would Isabella Dam hold together if there ever was a massive earthquake? The Kern County Grand Jury asked that question this morning of engineers from the U.S Army Corps of Engineers.

Engineers told the panel they're concerned about seepage, that's when water finds its way inside or under a dam. But they're also paying attention to the Kern Canyon earthquake fault which runs underneath the auxiliary dam.

They say the fault is active. In fact, a small earthquake happens about once a week in that area. But engineers note that's nothing to be concerned about. Ronn Rose with the Corps says it's a Magnitude 7 or greater quake coupled with high water levels that might do some damage. "So if an earthquake were to happen today, the chances are very remote that the dam would even fail. It's only the combination of an earthquake, a large earthquake, when the dam is actually high, when you might see a release of that reservoir. Again, very rare event, rare combination."

Even at that, engineers say the damage wouldn't mean a major spillover of the dam but more likely a crack in the walls which would cause erosion over time. Spokesman Dave Killam says keeping the water levels low means a lot safer conditions. "We've noticed already since we've lowered the pool that the pressure on the dam has lessened quite considerably, so that's an important condition."

The Corps has released more water into the Kern River this year. Engineers say they haven't learned anything new about the condition of Isabella Dam but the latest round of studies confirms what they already know: the dam needs major remedies.

So what do they want you to know? Rose says, "One thing we don't want people to do is panic. This is not a dam we feel is gonna collapse tomorrow, or anything like that."

Engineers say they need to retrofit the dam to make it safer but that process won't begin for at least another five years and could take ten years to complete.

They plan to brief the Kern County grand jury on their findings every six months.