Race to save badly damaged California dam before MORE rainfall: Second storm is set to hit......

.dailymail.co.uk ^ | 13 February 2017 | Liam Quinn and Gareth Davies For Dailymail.com

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Race to save badly damaged California dam before MORE rainfall: Second storm is set to hit the tallest dam in America in 48 hours and could cause devastating 100ft deep flood that will leave 200,000 homeless 

• Authorities have said they want to lower the water level by at least 50 feet before storms arrive Wednesday 
• There are fears the Oroville Dam could collapse and unleash flooding, leaving towns 100 foot underwater
• Nearly 200,000 residents evacuated in Butte, Sutter and Yuba counties in Northern California amid fears
• The average annual rainfall is about 31 inches, but since October, the area has seen 25 inches of rain 
• Currently, the water level of Lake Oroville is dropping at a rate of roughly three- to four-inches per hour 
• All 23,000 of the California National Guard have been put on standby to assist the situation and recovery 
• Water levels reached 50-year high after rainfall and threatened citizens living near the massive Oroville Dam 
• The Oreville dam is made up of two spillways that siphon water out of the lake of the same name
• The main spillway has a 250-foot wide and 40-foot deep chasm that has affected drainage
• The emergency spillway is a wooded embankment and was used for the first time in history on Saturday
• As of 8 a.m. on Monday Lake Oroville had dropped to 897.2 feet, which is about 4 feet below capacity 

[mrsmith]

Actual level, and history:
https://cdec.water.ca.gov/cgi-progs/queryF?s=ORO&d=14-Feb-2017+12:00&span=12hours

It’s dropping 5 in/hr, will probably pick up to 6 in/hr.

[ROCKLOBSTER]

it’s California, the state that voted 80% for Hitlery so can’t we just *let* it do a little house cleaning?

Not so sure that little town is a RAT stronghold.

[Rik0Shay]

As the lake draws down the surface area of the lake shrinks. That being said it takes less and less water to lower the lake one foot. After they get past 8 or 9 feet it may take only 15 minute to lower 4 inches.

[steve86]

Thanks. And they’re mostly nice people anyway including some FReepers.

[ColdOne]

Why is the hydro plant down?

[Hoffer Rand]

We have close friends in Yuba City. They are evacuated (they didn’t go far) and staying with friends on high ground. All really solid Trump supporters, for what that’s worth. Beale AFB is right there close to Yuba City. May want to send some prayers up for our service people stationed there.

[ViLaLuz]

Thanks, will do.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Thirty minutes of absolutely outstanding discussion by a knowledgable Engineer on the technalities of the problem!!!!!

Thanks for taking the time to post the link!

[OKSooner]

You’re welcome.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

The Hillary supporters are nearly all on or near the the beach....

Interior California is heavily non Leftists!

[HereInTheHeartland]

Yes that is horrible.
California is like any other state, all kinds of people.
Wishing some of them dead is not cool.

The area around this dam is likely very conservative anyway.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Take 30 minutes and listen to a DAM expert ...very good one I think discuss the History and what should have happened...after a 2005 report....

See link at post #17.

[meadsjn]

I suspect the towns won’t be 100 feet below the water, but rather will be scattered several miles downstream.

[KC Burke]

My understanding is that once the main spillway had a giant section open up in its outflow structure and water was cascading everywhere, debris was in the channel below the structure and water backed up and flooded the hydro plant lower levels.

I believe also, erosion of the bank between the outflow structure and the generating plant knocked out the foundations for some electrical transmission structures.

So with the turbine area flooded with related damage, with transmission lines needing full repair and certification with lots of new cable (they don’t reuse that stuff and it costs about $35 to 85 a lineal foot just on the spool) there is little time now to do the 200 crew hours of work needed to bring the generating plant up again.

[ColdOne]

Wow....thanks for info. The left hates dams. Getting rid of them here too, Idaho.