Well, the KCRA copter footage at this hour didn’t look quite that dire to me. They should know of course, but I always wonder about the whole issue of “code language”.
This situation is obviously outside of design parameters, judging by the news footage. The lake level has pushed the spill point laterally past the actual auxilliary spillway so that it’s flowing down a slope from a parking lot there.
So, is this a failure? The spillway itself doesn’t look like it’s being undermined, to my layman’s eye.
So, I have hope that the structure can last a while. It’s hour by hour, I guess.
It happens quick.