Emergency: California’s Oroville Dam Spillway Near Failure, Evacuations Ordered

Breitbart ^ | Feb 12, 2017 | Joel B. Pollak1

[janetjanet998]

The California Department of Water Resources issued a sudden evacuation order shortly before 5 p.m. Sunday for residents near the Oroville Dam in northern California, warning that the dam’s emergency spillway would fail in the next 60 minutes.

The Oroville Dam is the highest in the nation.

[Grampa Dave]

Thanks for posting these regulations re the Coast Guard:

Posse Comitatus clarifications emphasize supportive and technical assistance (e.g., use of facilities, vessels, and aircraft, as well as intelligence support, technological aid, and surveillance) while generally prohibiting direct participation of Department of Defense personnel in law enforcement (e.g., search, seizure, and arrests).

For example, a U.S. Navy vessel may be used to track, follow, and stop a vessel suspected of drug smuggling, but Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachments (LEDETs) embarked aboard the Navy vessel would perform the actual boarding and, if needed, arrest the suspect vessel’s crew.[5]

[American Quilter]

That’s a great story (and a great picture!). I was an intel officer assigned to Beale in 1980-1983, when the U-2s and SR-71s were flying around the world. I used to read out the U-2s’ film, including the day a pilot decided to take a 500-mile detour to go see Mt. Saint Helens, which had recently erupted. I really enjoyed the job. I never fished, though!

[maggief]

Here's another evacuation.

http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2017/02/13/flash-flood-warning-issued-for-part-of-walnut-grove-due-to-imminent-levee-breach/?utm_content=buffer35d32&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

Residents living on Tyler Island in Sacramento County are being told to evacuate their homes after it appeared the levee along the N. Mokelumne River would breach.

The Sacramento County Office of Emergency Services issued the following statement to people living in the area:

“This is an Evacuation Notice from Sacramento County Office of Emergency Services. Tyler Island is expected to flood due to a compromised levee. Residents are strongly advised to leave the area for their safety. Safe travel routes include Tyler Island Road south to Tyler Island Bridge Road and then to River Road either north or south. Residents can also use Tyler Island / San Andrus Island Road north to Walnut Grove Road and then north or south to either River Road or West Walnut Grove Road. Residents may obtain additional road closure information from 3-1-1.”

A flash flood warning is in effect until 11:30 a.m. Tuesday.

[WildHighlander57]

Thanks, maggief !

That’s what someone on the periscope feed chat said, that the levees in Sacramento were failing.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3524246/posts?page=34#34

https://www.periscope.tv/pseudojd/1gqxvqLdgbQJB

[greeneyes]

You are welcome. Glad to help.

[WildHighlander57]

That’s where those big @$$ chunks of concrete were coming from, in the periscope vid.

Holy $h!t....

[WildHighlander57]

Was commenting on pic oh hole, in libwhackers post

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3524221/posts?page=500#500

[maggief]

It may have already reached this point.

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-oroville-dam-how-20170213-story.html

Here's the nightmare scenario at Oroville Dam that officials are fighting to prevent

[CedarDave]

What worries me is we may be on the verge of a spectacular failure like the Baldwin Hills Dam collapse in 1963--but on a VASTLY larger scale.

There is little chance of that now that the water over the emergency spillway has ceased. But as HKMk23 said, if they hadn't stopped the flow, the emergency spillway could have been compromised possibly leading to a V-shaped release that could propagate south along the spillway top threatening the concrete spillway and maybe the dam itself. It would depend on the presence and strength of the underlying bedrock but as we saw with just a few feet of flowing water there was considerable erosion. Just imagine what 30 feet of hydraulic head would do!

Before that spillway is used again, it will have to be investigated including the properties of the subsurface material in the vicinity of that spillway. I expect there will be a drilling project to determine the depth and type of bedrock below the overlying jointed and fractured rock followed by backfill and cementing to the surface.

[WildHighlander57]

How much did they get during this last over-topping ?

[Osage Orange]

The water stopped going over the emergency spillway almost 24 hrs ago now.....

[rdl6989]

Scanner traffic is just now saying something about “seepage” along the dam itself.

http://www.broadcastify.com/listen/feed/24979/web

[maggief]

Where’s all the upcoming rain and snow melt going to go?

This could go on for months.

[maggief]

“Scanner traffic is just now saying something about “seepage” along the dam itself.”

WHAT?!

[Osage Orange]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zG4VK-0Dt8k

Watch this...probably the best info I've heard.....the large man, without a uniform on.... was the most informative..........

FWIW-

[rdl6989]

I don’t know what to make of the seepage comments. I’m listening right now for more information.

[Pelham]

I had to look up the Baldwin Hills dam break, I didn’t recall that one.

It sure spawned a long series of investigations with some charging that subsidence from oil well pumping was to blame, I guess dismissing the fact that this reservoir was built on top of an earthquake fault.

Read enough of these dam failure histories and you get an education on geology and hydraulics

[maggief]

From another forum:

“seepage along the fence post...per scanner”

I thought that hole looked bad. I’m not an engineer, but worried the fence might add pressure to the water it diverted as water spilled over the emergency spillway. A water plume was recorded by the citizen reporter.

[CedarDave]

Some seepage is expected. If there has been an unexpected increase, that could be a cause for concern.

(BTW, I haven't been able to find any information on the composition of the "impervious core" [ie. compacted low permeability clay or cement])

[sissyjane]

You heard this yourself?? Seepage? Are they evacuating the employees?

Are there any cameras on this today? The periscope live video all day all weekend were the most enlightening information that was available.