http://www.redding.com/story/news/2017/02/09/dam-spillway-checked-distance-last-inspection/97723936/
Dam spillway checked from ‘distance’ in last inspection
Published 6:16 p.m. PT Feb. 9, 2017
http://www.kcra.com/article/oroville-spillway-outflows-increase-as-damage-continues/8701837
According to the July 2015 inspection report, “The FCO structure appeared to be satisfactory with no visible concrete or structural deficiencies.”
However, the report also indicates the inspection was done visually and inspectors did not walk the spillway.
“The discharge channel was not walked this time; however, a visual inspection from some distance indicated no visible signs of concrete deficiencies,” the report states.
Feds, Calif. disagree on seismic safety of U.S. tallest dam
Published 9 December 2013
Ronald Stork, a senior policy advocate at Friends of the River,noted that the Oroville Dam exhibits a case of reservoir-induced seismicity. In such a case, the reservoir itself can cause earthquakes due to the weight of water stored behind the dam being large enough to shift the earth’s crust. Studies have documented the case at Oroville. “A dam with a whole lot of shaking going on … does seem to be something you need to be really careful about,” said Stork, who monitors dam regulation across the state. “You lose a 3.5million acre-foot reservoir — the tallest in the United States — and that could cause a whole mess of downstream trouble.”
Any suggested repairs from the proposed assessment at Oroville Dam will be paid for by twenty-nine urban and agricultural water contractors which purchase water from the State Water Project. Contractors are hesitant to absorb new costs which will be eventually passed on to their customers. Recently, two expensive and high-profile accidents which occurred at the dam have resulted in millions of dollars in costs.
Whoa...I can’t even imagine.