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“Normalization of Deviance”..Sadly, that sounds fairly descriptive of our society these days.

Strictly from an Engineering environment & engineering organization, should this high level philosophy be kept in context. Just a bit of horse blinders to keep from spiraling into the "lunacy vectors" of a societal context.

Temptation is in every part of life, including engineering. The engineering hero in Atlas Shrugs *John Galt* illustrates the fearlessness & qualities that should drive the moral core of the engineering conscience. Often, engineering organizations have the saying, you need to have older/elder "grey beards" around as part of the group. Why, because these veterans are the heart & conscience of maintaining high standards and maintaining the moral core. Usually, they are fearless, (in the sense of maintaining engineering qualities, with no compromises) and are unafraid of challenging against the temptation to swizzle specifications or "reason away" parameters or outcomes for some type of false benefit. Often, they serve as mentors to the younger engineers.

I've seen engineers get corporate awards for saving big $'s on volumes of reduction of numerous decoupling capacitors on Computer boards, as measured by finding they could meet or beat RF radiated emissions as tested to FCC Class B standards in a computer enclosure. (I'm non-grey - yet I worked on these crisis problems) - I brought up the fact that they just intensified the internal RF emissions into a radiated state where internal mixing of the RF was causing a "chance" complex cancellation & reabsorption in the metal skins of the enclosure. They created a monster in allowing this energy to "develop" & it would find a way out on a cable or seam in a future enclosure modification. Nobody thought of that. (let alone the radical increase of Vcc noise in the power quality in the computer Vcc/Gnd specs). The engineer just went by - the computer was still working - it didn't crash. I could go on for months over wild cases in engineering examples.

This type of engineering creep of temptation or incompetence in design degradations must be eliminated by skilled, experienced, unafraid, leadership heroes within organizations. Perhaps there should be more books written on these heroes to help raise awareness of this critical important moral core.

I will say one thing, it takes a special breed of person to be fierce in these qualities. Sometimes, it is within the quietest of personalities (excuse the term - nerd).

- - - for those interested in "Normalization of Deviance" - snip from wiki The Challenger Launch Decision:

Diane Vaughan developed her theory of the normalization of deviance in The Challenger Launch Decision. She details how, during the developmental phase of the Space Shuttle Program, the normalization of deviance resulted in a dangerous design flaw in the design of the spacecraft. The group that was assessing the joints on the solid rocket boosters conducted analysis to find the "limits and capabilities of joint performance. Each time, evidence initially interpreted as a deviation from expected performance was reinterpreted as within the bounds of acceptable risk"[7]. The acceptance of this risk led to the Challenger exploding on the morning of January 28, 1986.

NASA and Morton-Thiokol suffered from the normalization of deviance when assessing the safety of the SRBs. Diane Vaughan states, "As [NASA and Morton-Thiokol] recurrently observed the problem with no consequence they got to the point that flying with the flaw was normal and acceptable"[10]. On January 28, 1986, the normalization of deviance within the two organizations contributed to the loss of the Space Shuttle Challenger and the seven astronauts on board.

Milky White Substance + Foam - Originating at Spillway & Feather River

A Milky White substance and Foam observed when the Oroville spillway reopened April 14. I did some research & found this. Overflight video, in the morning of April 15 by locals, reveal the origin is within the spill turbulence from the canyon outflow.

Deflection of this flow, on the opposite side of the river bank, reveals the milky white substance & foaming to branch both directions (upstream and downstream based on the riverbank backstop).

A second overflight, closer to mid-day, reveals the material subsiding. This indicates it was an initial condition from the spillway turn-on and lessened when "washing" purged the source.

The Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board was notified and they took samples to determine the source of the foam. (see article link). The results won't be known for 2 weeks.

Not sure why, but, the agency supervising engineer, Bryan Smith, commented that "It might be 'foaming agents' in the water, or natural causes might be found. Smith said decaying plants and algae can cause foam in water, or a change in water temperature. Pollen can also appear like foam, he said".

I suppose that they are not aware of the video of the overflights. If so, I believe it would immediately lead them to investigate if all of the myriad of coring/drilling & drill mudding in the Upper Main Spillway may be the cause. Keep in mind that there is likely a fractured rock sub base in the Upper Spillway. Core Drilling could have injected an amount of material used in the coring process. Then there is the re-sealing of the core holes to ready the spillway for re-opening. The underdrain system beneath the slabs would easily wash and port the fluidic leftover material into the sidewall drain chutes.

Hope they used an "eco-friendly" material. We'll see what the test results come out to be. btw- DWR may have had a hint of this early on by observing the water drains… unless the "foaming" required turbulence & mixing of minerals in the canyon..

= = Mercury News Article snip

Oroville – Foam floated downstream and made circles on the water last week in the pool below Oroville Dam. Water quality experts are trying to determine why.

Oroville Dam: Mystery foam appears below damaged spillway

Mystery Milky White substance & foam flowing in the diversion pool caught the attention of locals. Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board was notified & samples taken.

Milky White substance + Foam observed originating at spillway turbulence from canyon - outflow from Upper Main Spillway. Material goes upstream and downstream from bank flow back pressure hydraulics.

Thanks ER. Sometimes it feels like we’re in the vortex of “lunacy vectors”.

Perhaps there should be more books written on these heroes to help raise awareness of this critical important moral core. I will say one thing, it takes a special breed of person to be fierce in these qualities. Sometimes, it is within the quietest of personalities...

I think your observations are worthwhile and compelling. Reminds me of an interesting passage in the Bible:

There was a little city, and few men within it; and there came a great king against it, and besieged it, and built great bulwarks against it: now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet no man remembered that same poor man. Ecc 9:14-15.