The Whole DAM situation (Tallest dam in US), deteriorating spillway causes lots of anxiety (UPDATE: Evacuations Ordered)

[Cripplecreek]

This dam isn't going anywhere. It must be 2500 to 3000 feet wide at its base.

[Idaho_Cowboy]

I wonder how many sand bags you would need to stop a 700' tall wall of water traveling at 100 mph. Any one?

All of them.

[truth_seeker]

News this morning, said "good things" happened overnight.

But more rain is forecast later this week.

Live stream


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0T8Gz0kMxBw

[mountaineer]

Oroville Dam: Feds and State Officials Ignored Warnings 12 Years Ago

by Paul Rogers
PUBLISHED: February 12, 2017 at 9:37 pm | UPDATED: February 13, 2017 at 8:25 am

More than a decade ago, federal and state officials and some of California’s largest water agencies rejected concerns that the massive earthen spillway at Oroville Dam — at risk of collapse Sunday night and prompting the evacuation of 185,000 people — could erode during heavy winter rains and cause a catastrophe.  ...

Too busy giving the taxpayers' money to illegals?

[Idiot]

News this morning, said "good things" happened overnight.

But more rain is forecast later this week.

Live stream


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0T8Gz0kMxBw

I saw the Oroville dam when flying from LA to Seattle.  It was quite impressive.

Great to hear that the water level had dropped overnight.  Get ready for the lawsuits due to the "false alarm."  I can't imagine living downstream of that huge dam/lake.

Here's hoping things continue to get better for them.

[truth_seeker]

Oroville Dam: Feds and State Officials Ignored Warnings 12 Years Ago

Too busy giving the taxpayers' money to illegals?

Or building a high speed train between "middle of nowhere" and "middle of nowhere II"

[Norm Lenhart]

Oroville Dam: Feds and State Officials Ignored Warnings 12 Years Ago

Too busy giving the taxpayers' money to illegals?

All those people have had more than ample opportunity to get out of their communist ruled state. California government and dams have a very poor history.

They all managed to find an excuse, usually involving keeping their toys, to stay. Actions have consequences. If that dam goes, they lose their toys and maybe their lives and those of their families. But they knew better and chose to stay.

[dfwgator]

All those people have had more than ample opportunity to get out of their communist ruled state. California government and dams have a very poor history.

They all managed to find an excuse, usually involving keeping their toys, to stay. Actions have consequences. If that dam goes, they lose their toys and maybe their lives and those of their families. But they knew better and chose to stay.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_516ml5ImGU

[Fishrrman]

Interesting graphic (posted full size for clarity):


The "this ridge" area -- is there bedrock beneath, or is that, too, "sediment"?

Same goes for the area highlighted in blue.
Won't severe overflow from the emergency spillway -- and the resulting erosion of the ground beneath the blue area -- erode away, gradually but inevitably weakening the entire structure?

[Norm Lenhart]

Interesting graphic (posted full size for clarity):


The "this ridge" area -- is there bedrock beneath, or is that, too, "sediment"?

Same goes for the area highlighted in blue.
Won't severe overflow from the emergency spillway -- and the resulting erosion of the ground beneath the blue area -- erode away, gradually but inevitably weakening the entire structure?

That graphic reminds me of the Titanic people that touted it's unsinkability. Their ridge isnn't gonna make squat difference if the emergency spillway erodes to the right toward the dam's face and turns the whole underlayment to mud.

[Suppressed]

Particularly in an earth quake prone zone. Does not dirt liquidity when shaken with water present?

The construction of the dam is believed to have led to a quake of something like 5.7 (Richter) on a local fault, in the mid-70s. 

Yes, liquifaction can occur with water and shaking.   A quake would not be good right now.

[LateForLunch]

That graphic reminds me of the Titanic people that touted it's unsinkability. Their ridge isnn't gonna make squat difference if the emergency spillway erodes to the right toward the dam's face and turns the whole underlayment to mud.

All those who are willing to risk their lives based on trusting the California state government officials word that the dam is not in danger of collapse signify by saying "AYE!" (cricket sounds).

The bill for repair of the spillway is likely already close to a quarter of a billion dollars. Will anyone in the mass media obligate the government to explain why they decided not to follow the recommended reinforcement advised years ago !?! Gentlemen, here is your circus - here is your carnival of mutual rape that is leftist politics-as-usual.

Defenestration, starting with Moonbeam.

[Idiot]

All those who are willing to risk their lives based on trusting the California state government officials word that the dam is not in danger of collapse signify by saying "AYE!" (cricket sounds).

The bill for repair of the spillway is likely already close to a quarter of a billion dollars. Will anyone in the mass media obligate the government to explain why they decided not to follow the recommended reinforcement recommended years ago !?! Gentlemen, here is your circus - here is your carnival of mutual rape that is leftist politics-as-usual.

Defenestration, starting with Moonbeam.

It won't be long before they want federal government to pay for the repair.  We will...we always do.........

[truth_seeker]

Psychiatrists and psychologists yesterday, and today come the geologists and dam builders.

Can't we  all just switch to trans-Atlantic mind reading again?

 

[Smokin Joe]

So true.

But environmentalists warned about the emergency spillway more than a decade ago...

http://www.orovillemr.com/general-news/20170212/state-was-warned-about-inadequacy-of-emergency-spillway

It was the erosion of that emergency spillway that had them dumping rock via helicopter to try to decrease scour.

OTOH, the erosion was less than feared.

You'd expect the soil and loose material to be stripped by the current, especially that much water. The key issue with the emergency spillway is the integrity of the underlying bedrock. I would expect that the bedrock on either end of the dam would be solid enough to withstand both the pressure of the water behind it and the flow of substantial water over it, otherwise, the reservoir would have evacuated itself long ago.

[rangerrebew]

Activists Warned Officials About Oroville Dam 12 Years Ago… but Nobody Listened
February 14, 2017 | The Anti-Media | theantimedia.org | 387 views


by Carey Wedler

Officials were warned twelve years in advance about potential safety hazards at the Oroville Dam in Butte County, California, which now faces the risk of flooding nearby residential areas as a result of a broken spillway and increased rainfall.

Local outlet Mercury News reports:

http://www.thedailysheeple.com/activists-warned-officials-about-oroville-dam-12-years-ago-but-nobody-listened_022017

[rangerrebew]

I guess they were too busy listening to illegal aliens and environment whackoes.

[anubias]

I guess they were too busy listening to illegal aliens and environment whackoes.

It was environmental wackos doing the warning.  Check out the list in the link.

[Cripplecreek]

It was environmental wackos doing the warning.  Check out the list in the link.

Yup.

They were right to be concerned and authorities should have taken it seriously but the enviros have damaged their own credibility over the years.

However its also important to know exactly what the enviros were saying at the time. Generally when enviros speak about dams its to demand that the river be released from its shackles and allowed to run free.

[Suppressed]

Yup.

They were right to be concerned and authorities should have taken it seriously but the enviros have damaged their own credibility over the years.

However its also important to know exactly what the enviros were saying at the time. Generally when enviros speak about dams its to demand that the river be released from its shackles and allowed to run free.

They wanted the emergency spillway armored with concrete.  President Bush declined their request.

[GtHawk]

I guess they were too busy listening to illegal aliens and environment whackoes.

Well RINO Maximus The Governator was in charge at the time so if you want to blame it on democrats you'd still be right! :whistle:

[GtHawk]

They wanted the emergency spillway armored with concrete.  President Bush declined their request.

And Arnie the governator was in charge of California, good to see that he took charge.

[Norm Lenhart]

Yup.

They were right to be concerned and authorities should have taken it seriously but the enviros have damaged their own credibility over the years.

However its also important to know exactly what the enviros were saying at the time. Generally when enviros speak about dams its to demand that the river be released from its shackles and allowed to run free.

If the project had been approved and funded, the enviros would have sued because they suddenly discovered evidence of the endangered snarfblat of which 5 potentially exist, only live on the spillway, so building the thing would be impossible by law.

The enviros would then sue to have the dam dismantled as a safety hazzard plus legal expenses. A Cali court would have given them a win and $$$.

Eliminating every dam in the country is one of the goals of the econazis. They are not remotely concerned about public safety in this case. Or any other. I have serious doubts that they had a team of scientists or even a random construction worker 'advising them' when they determined the dam/spillway had an issue. At best, it was a 'lucky' guess.

[Smokin Joe]

While I won't take issue with the aims of ecowhacko groups trying to have dams removed, You don't exactly need a PhD in Civil Engineering to figure out that when massive quantities of water run over unprotected soil, you are going to get erosion. No "lucky guess", actually, just an unusual display of common sense.

[thackney]

They wanted the emergency spillway armored with concrete.  President Bush declined their request.

Why would this dam be a federal project?  It was built for California Water Supply and electric power.