Living Beneath a Wall of Water: Can Oroville Residents Trust the Dam Will Hold?

Sacramento Bee ^ | 2/17 | DALE KASLER, RYAN LILLIS AND JOSÉ LUIS VILLEGAS

[Samurai_Jack]

The Unfortunate circumstance is that the libs in CA are still living in denial. It is their understanding that this dam was not designed to handle this kind of unprecedented rainfall amount. So rather than holding their elected officials accountable, they short straight to global warming.

Such people you cannot help. Fools have no interest in understanding; they only want to air their own opinions.

[CGASMIA68]

Hardly and no matter what these people are screwed.
If the want to relocate permanently no one wants their home.Its like living next to Fukushima

Excellent reminder, don’t buy property next to or near by a potential natural disaster.

[SkyPilot]

The California officials who cried wolf last week screwed everybody, themselves, their credibility, and the residents.

They stated, and I quote, that "the damn with fail within 60 minutes" and also "This is not a drill. This is not a drill! This is NOT a drill!!!"

So how do they now expect people to believe them?

And look what happened to resident's homes when they evacuated:

http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/california/Oroville-Dam-Emergency-Evacuees-Victimized-by-Looters-Carjackers-414180453.html

http://fox40.com/2017/02/15/homes-burglarized-in-evacuation-area-below-oroville-dam/

[elpadre]

Do insurance companies really insure properties is areas with such high risk?? Or should I ask how high are the premiums? Or maybe, they expect tax payers to cover their losses?

[meyer]

The Unfortunate circumstance is that the libs in CA are still living in denial.

If the rains keep up and the dams don't get the proper attention, they'll soon be living in De Nile!

[meyer]

The official that “cried wolf” was he local Sheriff, and it was a prudent call under the circumstances. 200,000 people’s lives possibly at stake, I’d rather get as many out of harm’s way as possible than live knowing that I should have acted and didn’t.

The situation at the dam may or may not have been as dire as thought, but at the time, and under the circumstances, I think erring on the side of safety was prudent.

[central_va]

Meanwhile in VA it seems winter is already over!

[polymuser]

Flooding in Willows, CA now, 40 miles west of Oroville:

http://www.krcrtv.com/news/local/glenn/i-5-south-of-willows-flooded-traffic-backed-up-for-miles/342792419

[Freedom_Is_Not_Free]

Well, they want to drain Hetch Hetchy, anyway.

Liberalism is a mental disorder. Commie libs are insane.

[Mr. Jeeves]

The emergency spillway was on the verge of collapse. Fortunately, they were able to open up the damaged main spillway further and relieve the pressure before the emergency spillway gave way and sent 30 feet of lake water into Oroville.

They didn't cry wolf - but Jerry Brown ignored the wolves for years.

The incident demonstrated that the emergency spillway cannot be used again without substantial off-season repairs. If the lake gets that high again - and there is 30 feet of snow up there, waiting to melt - evacuations will be necessary again.

[Neidermeyer]

I’d be gone like yesterday’s burrito.
*************
If they’re counting on uncured week old (or younger) concrete they’re idiots..

[Ozark Tom]

Where did you source that rumor?

[discostu]

All dams fail eventually. All things die, all things break, it’s a temporary world.

[Jamestown1630]

Here in Maryland, we’re beginning to think the groundhog was wrong. But we can still get hit pretty bad, into March.

[SkyPilot]

Thanks for the clarification and the information.

[SkyPilot]

I agree with you, but if they order a Nother evacuation, many people will feel that they were burned and may not comply. Their homes were looted. And the officials stated that the collapse of the dam was going to occur within 60 minutes. I’m not sure how they get their credibility back.

[Ozark Tom]

Magnesium phosphate based cement is not the same chemistry as common Portland cement based on calcium silicates. It’s also somewhat more expensive; but, justified in use based on the speed in which it gains initial strength and 75% of ultimate load capability (24 hr). It adheres to virtually any composition material. Has been used in dam repair before.

[minnesota_bound]

[Ozark Tom]

Here is part of the evidence supporting a ‘run for your life’ evacuation order. Photographs in the ‘gallery’ show the top of the emergency spillway and illustrates the erosion with 1.5 foot depth of flow across the weir. The assumed solid bedrock of the spillway has revealed poor strength—the weir as cast in place with no anchorage to the underlying rock is as deep as 40 feet. No core testing was performed upon the rock—appears as an original design flaw based on the assumption of solid rock which has been shown as mistaken.

http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-oroville-spillway-failure-20170216-story.html

[minnesota_bound]

#39 The concrete was just plopped on the rock....
No spillway either, just the dirt and trees they mentioned plus the power lines across the area.
Even I know you gotta do better then that!