An early sign to a potentially clever plan was revealed in April 25, 2017 regarding the Independent Forensic Team Report. David Gutierrez, acting technical advisor & consultant for DWR, responded to an inquiry from the Chico-Enterprise Record. In this response, David revealed a strategy that very likely will be used; a strategy if used, could possibly work to DWR's favor but only IF all sources of information are kept within an umbrella of inferred national security.
The article clip below reveals direct statements from David that "DWR will be making the forensic team's report public under the same security constraints". Translate = DWR may "deem" an item and/or information a "national security designation" and thus may withhold/redact this information from the Forensic Team report.
This "national security blanket" has been used by DWR well beyond reason, to which the press & legislators have been extremely frustrated over. Yet, when DWR finds conditions favorable, they will openly release a full unredacted report (such as the recent Memo 8) to where the press notes that the document was originally noted containing "national security information" (CEII). So either DWR is being extremely careless and publicly releasing "national security infrastructure information", OR, DWR is demonstrating that they are abusing the "national security" designation. It's either one or the other.
Memo 8 was important to DWR to get "out there" as DWR is facing harsh evidence that (1) they are aware and/or knew the spillway was built upon a layer consolidated dirt/soils [violating the original design specs] (2) they are aware and/or knew that the required "leveling concrete" was not done per the original design specifications. The "cherry picked" photo in Memo 8 is trying to counter (1) & (2). Won't work. Another DWR photo demolishes (1) showing a large amount of soil under the cut away slab. (2) is disproven by all of the spillway destruction remains evidence. There's no evidence of large blocks of "leveling" concrete in the deep highly weathered rock chasms (from the electrical towers down to and past the blowout failure area).
So DWR is already dismantling their own original position of saying that some of the forensic report will be held to "national security" requirements as DWR is openly publishing "national security" filed documents, unredacted, a few days ago in Memo 8.
If this tactic is tried in the final forensic report, the "holes" in information created by a "national security" reason, will create a picture with puzzle pieces that will not fit together. This would result in such a weak forensic report that its credibility could crumble in a simple review from the expertise in the dam engineering community.
The best advice that could be offered is to be as honest as possible with the most information as possible (i.e. do it right).
= = Article clip: (emphasis mine) - "Guitierrez clarified there is a difference between the board of consultants and the forensic review team. Both are independent and a requirement by the state and FERC, but the board is reviewing the redesign of the Oroville Dam spillways while the forensic team is looking into what caused the spillway failure in the first place. DWR will be making the forensic team’s report public under the same security constraints, he said.
= = end clip more at link
Oroville Dam repair is huge, but so is residents’ mistrust
By Kurtis Alexander - June 18, 2017 Updated: June 18, 2017 9:50pm
The 3,000-foot-long main chute — where the crisis began Feb. 7 when a crater opened up amid heavy releases from the lake — didn’t have water stops to seal joints and prevent leaks from weakening it. Also, there is too little steel reinforcement in the structure, and the pipes that drain water beneath it are made of clay instead of superior PVC.
“You can’t even find clay pipes anymore,” Gutierrez said, as he looked down from the top of the 770-foot earthen dam that was completed in 1968.
I guess it's about which taxpayer pocket is picked to pay for repairs. And which entity will be sued by ambulance chasers. And thousands of man hours are going to be spent trying to avoid and place blame.
California and all of America was populated by self-sufficient folks fifty years ago who were raised on the mother's milk of not stealing from your neighbor or your boss or your government. I remember it well. The Oroville dam spillway improper construction in the late 60’s, probably at the end of Pat Brown's administration, was symbolic of the new era to come.