Posted on 02/14/2017 8:10:36 AM PST by pax_et_bonum
To make sense of the fast-developing situation at California's Oroville Dam, Chris spoke today with Scott Cahill, an expert with 40 years of experience on large construction and development projects on hundreds of dams, many of them earthen embankment ones like the dam at Oroville. Scott has authored numerous white papers on dam management, he's a FEMA trainer for dam safety, and is the current owner of Watershed Services of Ohio which specializes in dam projects across the eastern US. Suffice it to say, he knows his "dam" stuff.
Scott and Chris talk about the physics behind the failing spillways at Oroville, as well as the probability of a wider-scale failure from here as days of rain return to California.
(excerpt)
(Excerpt) Read more at peakprosperity.com ...
I wonder how well the local media kept the local population informed of the deteriorating conditions at the dam during the past decade or so.
The local press - even in Sacramento - has (from what I’ve heard) been hammering on this for years. I can’t point to specific examples, though.
I knew there was a problem on Saturday morning when they ‘closed the airspace’ over the dam.
No airborn video at all until Sunday afternoon when the evacuation order went out.
Whoever made that call endangered the public just to cover their own ass and the public was intentionally kept in the dark as to the extent of the problem.
Their head should roll...
The drought in California has been years long. I guess obozo didn’t consider this a shovel ready job
That’s good to know.
Thanks!
You two, in the back row.
Yes, you.
Go to the chalkboard and put your noses in those little circles.
;-)
The dam functioned fine during the past years of drought - the problems weren’t even on the radar except for some environmental groups (who hate dams in general). Now when there is an over abundance of precipitation the water managers and engineers are scrambling to keep it from failing. I just hope they can lower the level enough to keep it safe during the next weeks/months to the end of the rainy season.
In many ways this reminds me of the childrens classic fable of the grasshopper and the ants - work ignored during the sunny days and the price paid in the winter. https://youtu.be/3V9uL_ruafU
“This is all you need to read from the article. Now Governor Moonbeam is asking Trump for emergency funding when this could have been avoided, and of course is Trump refuses, then it’s his fault.”
Yes. But Trump could negotiate a payment plan from California. Make California pay for it, but with a payment plan. That would be great! Maybe it push California over the edge to secession - ha! (And gouge them with an exorbitant interest rate.)
I listened to this interview. The guy is truly an expert and deserving of the handle. He is also a responsible man not given to alarmism. Just about everything he says is spot on. In fact, I saw no flaws in what he says.
I’m not expert as he is in this field but I know enough to know he knows what he is talking about.
Great engineer, responsible man, knows what he is talking about.
“...Gov Moonbeam is asking Trump for emergency funding when this could have been avoided..”
Lawsuits would put it back on the Feds since Oroville came under the Federal inspections. Who pays will be in court for 20 years.
Good interviewers are as hard to find as good interviewees. These two were fascinating. I especially listened up when Cahill was asked “When would YOU feel comfortable moving back in to your home?” He circled around that one but I think we all know what is answer would be — Never!
Bkmk
I should have responded to you with more than just a quick smile.
I’m sorry that I took your comment the wrong way.
There have been lots of articles posted about the Oroville dam situation and I thought you were making a snide comment about that and my posting yet another one. My bad. Mea culpa.
I had posted the link to Cahill’s interview on a couple of threads last night but this morning I realized that this interview deserves a thread of its own.
Cahill didn’t discuss the dam only.
He also commented, directly yet diplomatically, about people not being able to trust government to let them know the truth about what’s going on.
Take care!
pax
Oroville is one of the best-managed and maintained dams in the country.
The evidence is contrary to what is stated. There are lots of dams in California alone, that have not failed as Oroville has failed.
The fact that Oroville is failing is evidence that it is *not* one of the best managed and maintained dams in the country.
bkmk
bookmark
I guess their idea of good management is to “pass the buck” to someone else.
Perhaps somewhere upstream, some of the water could be diverted? I don't know, but it is time to think outside the box.
The way I’d approach this from the Trump perspective is that I’d send in Federal help in the form of the Core of Engineers, and they could assess then if feasable, take complete ownership and control over the dam and perhaps the entire water control project until such a time as it is stabilized and in proper working order again. Then SELL it back to CA if they want to buy it. Otherwise, charge them a fee for maintaining water supply, lake levels, and such.
Maybe turn the operation over to TVA or BPA, both of whom seem to have a handle on operating a river system.
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