I guess the time will come, after the current situation has passed, for
“Monday morning quarter-backing” all of the decisions over the last 50 years,
but at the present time the focus is on ... “yeah, OK, so what do we do now?”
It seems like the plan is:
1- armor-up the emergency spillway as best as they possibly can;
2- drain as much water as they possibly can through the main spillway before it is no longer usable;
3- shut off the main spillway and get the hydro-electric discharge running;
4- evaluate and repair the main spillway.
What a mess.
Whoever is in the concrete business in the area is making a ton of bucks.
If they're selling concrete to California, I hope that they're getting paid up front!