I was worried that this thing was going down to the point that I started raising chickens again. However, it is looking like that dam is tougher than a lot of us thought.
But yeah, if it DOES burst, things will get ugly internationally.
A source within the USACE says even if the dam was overtopped it would not fail. An earthen dam, yes. A concrete dam, not likely.
Win win for you with the chickens.
You’re living my dream.
Honestly, I hate the ChiCom gov’t and all, but I’m praying that this thing does not break. It would be absolutely catastrophic for everybody globally if it does.
American engineers over-engineer their specs.
Chinese engineers go to spec but the suppliers cut material to minimums so watch out. Teach your chickens to swim.
Yeah I know you’re not in danger - from the Yangtze at least.
NOBODY wants to see the Three Gorges fail. Supposedly they’ve evacuated four million plus but to where?
Wuhan may be in the threat area?
Still in the rainy season. Since I didn’t tell you in particular, I can’t say I told you so but they were topping out logistically before the rainy season a month ago.
Crops and lives at huge risk.
“that dam is tougher than a lot of us thought.”
That dam is a gravity dam, so its own weight should naturally resist the water pressure behind it. Supposedly a fail-safe design.
There are a few possible failure modes:
1. Over-topping and scouring. The water level rises to the top of the dam, and then flows over like a waterfall, that digs away the river bed on the backside, until the dam slides into the hole. That would take a truly horrific amount of rain, which still seems unlikely at this point (but getting to be less of a stretch, as the peak levels have been rising through this season’s floods).
2. Defective construction and/or design. There were reports of this early in the construction. Kind of a wild card. Made in China.
3. Around the sides/through the locks. If water spills around the side(s), the erosion could undermine the structure and lead to greater failure, kind of like the scouring from over-topping. Another weak spot might be the two great locks for shipping on the North side.
Another possible scenario, is a cascade effect, caused by other dams failing, and sending big wave fronts downstream.