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Emergency: California’s Oroville Dam Spillway Near Failure, Evacuations Ordered
Breitbart ^ | Feb 12, 2017 | Joel B. Pollak1

Posted on 02/12/2017 4:26:47 PM PST by janetjanet998

Edited on 02/12/2017 9:33:58 PM PST by Admin Moderator. [history]

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.


TOPICS: Breaking News; News/Current Events; US: California
KEYWORDS: butte; california; dam; dwr; evacuation; lakeoroville; liveoroville; moonbeamcanyon; moonbeammadness; oroville; orovilledam; orovillelive; runaway; spillway; sutter; water; yuba
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To: janetjanet998

post 1105:

the little stream to the left of the main spillway is growing

https://www.ar15.com/forums/t_1_5/1964182_Biggest-dam-in-the-country-is-going-to-overflow-this-friday—FRESH-EVAC-VIDEO-PG-118—pucker-.html&page=209#i64704273


1,261 posted on 02/17/2017 3:47:07 PM PST by janetjanet998
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To: pax_et_bonum
From that twitter feed:


1,262 posted on 02/17/2017 3:54:23 PM PST by maggief
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To: maggief

seepage where?

and what do the numbers 9 and 21 mean?

it can be from the emergency spillway because the water level is well below that now


1,263 posted on 02/17/2017 3:57:50 PM PST by janetjanet998
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To: maggief

The eye opening thing to me is not the inflow or the storage, but rather the fact that they held the primary spillway at 60K CFS while the emergency spillway was being topped... they had so little confidence in the integrity of primary spillway that they were willing to let water flow over an emergency spillway that had never been used before.


1,264 posted on 02/17/2017 4:00:39 PM PST by leakinInTheBlueSea
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To: janetjanet998

Unsure.

Earlier on scanner there was also mention of no new cracks.


1,265 posted on 02/17/2017 4:05:49 PM PST by maggief
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To: maggief

New flow on the left side of the spillway as you look up (first picture in your post). I can’t tell from the picture whether it’s coming from the spillway or if it’s runoff from the local rain. There’s a lot of exposed dirt over at the emergency spillway area that will present some runoff. Rain will run downhill and all that stuff.


1,266 posted on 02/17/2017 4:11:23 PM PST by meyer (The Constitution says what it says, and it doesn't say what it doesn't say.)
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To: meyer

its from the spillway

it started two days ago but got worse today

can’t be from rain since it cut a new channel and obviously its rained there before and that channel wasn’t there


1,267 posted on 02/17/2017 4:17:56 PM PST by janetjanet998
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To: janetjanet998

Could runoff from the now hardscaped portion of the emergency spillway... finding a new path of least resistance


1,268 posted on 02/17/2017 4:21:02 PM PST by leakinInTheBlueSea
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To: janetjanet998

I can sort of see that, though the source gets lost in the steam/spray mist. It’s downhill from where the power line towers are, so that’s good. Probably just a new path from the original breach of the spillway. Maybe backing down has caused the water to fall straighter down (less “throw forward” if you will).

I’m kind of projecting here, but if you hold a hose horizontal and turn the water on low, the water will tend to fall almost straight down, but as you open the valve, the water pushes farther out as it drops to the ground. So maybe turning down the quantity of water had the same effect.


1,269 posted on 02/17/2017 4:23:29 PM PST by meyer (The Constitution says what it says, and it doesn't say what it doesn't say.)
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To: leakinInTheBlueSea

Re: 1268 - I was initially thinking that too. We’ll find out soon enough.


1,270 posted on 02/17/2017 4:25:01 PM PST by meyer (The Constitution says what it says, and it doesn't say what it doesn't say.)
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To: maggief

Re: 1262 - I think that a big part of those numbers on that chart have to do with the fact that the main spillway was damaged and they wanted to try to go without it. A few hours of scouring the hillside as water topped the “emergency/Aux) spillway told them that that was NOT an option. There was genuine concern that it would be compromised. Which is why the evacuation was ordered Sunday night (and I would say that was prudent).

They were spilling precious little in the early part of February and really didn’t open things up until they fully witnessed the damage that was caused by the overflowing water.

I suspect that there’s either been a change in leadership since Sunday, or the acting director learns very fast.


1,271 posted on 02/17/2017 4:29:51 PM PST by meyer (The Constitution says what it says, and it doesn't say what it doesn't say.)
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To: leakinInTheBlueSea

My theory is that they intentionally tested the emergency spillway while they still had an operative main spillway to end the overflow if problems were found..


1,272 posted on 02/17/2017 4:30:42 PM PST by mrsmith (Dumb sluts: Lifeblood of the Media, Backbone of the Democrat/RINO Party!)
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To: mrsmith

That’s possible. I think that they panicked with the damaged main spillway and on a hope and a prayer, tried the emergency route.

Either way, problems were found!


1,273 posted on 02/17/2017 4:32:12 PM PST by meyer (The Constitution says what it says, and it doesn't say what it doesn't say.)
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To: leakinInTheBlueSea
earlier today

https://twitter.com/CA_DWR

1,274 posted on 02/17/2017 4:34:09 PM PST by Ray76 (DRAIN THE SWAMP)
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To: Ray76

1,275 posted on 02/17/2017 4:37:08 PM PST by Ray76 (DRAIN THE SWAMP)
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To: tomkat

The only ones I trust are Scott Cahill and the Butte County Sheriff.

Especially when I see statements like this

“The dam is holding up, it’s structurally sound,” said Jay Smith, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

The Oroville Lake level has dipped to 869 feet, 32 feet below the top. “Everything is going well,” Smith told CNN, adding that “we’re cautiously optimistic.”

http://ktla.com/2017/02/17/heavy-downpours-likely-to-test-repairs-to-oroville-dam-spillway/


1,276 posted on 02/17/2017 4:41:25 PM PST by daisy12
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To: meyer
The total & complete luck out was the continuing integrity of the primary spillway above the break. Without being able to run @ 100k cfs, the emergency spillway would have certainly failed with any significant overflow.

It will be interesting to see how they design/build/repair this summer. With respect to the e-spillway, they'll probably riprap and concrete a rough surface are covering the entire hillside.

The primary spillway will be very interesting. Since it appears there is solid bedrock under the spillway to the point of the break (thus allowing them to run @ 100k without significant back cutting towards the bridge), I wonder if they'll lay in multiple 15-20' thick concrete catch basins within the dugout ravine? Maybe they'll employ a ladder effect to allow the cascades to eventually reach the bottom with the confluence of the Feather river.

1,277 posted on 02/17/2017 4:44:36 PM PST by semantic
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To: maggief

Scanner:

A crack in the slope above panel section 20

Crack not an issue right now but will be monitored.


1,278 posted on 02/17/2017 4:55:53 PM PST by maggief
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To: maggief

Scanner: Copter about to cut another power line.


1,279 posted on 02/17/2017 4:58:14 PM PST by maggief
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To: daisy12

Evacuation advisories in central CA, levees are weakening

http://abc30.com/weather/evacuation-advisories-issued-for-tranquillity-as-crews-monitor-levee/1760531/

Highway 101 near Ventura northbound closed due to mudslides.


1,280 posted on 02/17/2017 5:06:47 PM PST by daisy12
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