Posted on 01/05/2018 8:00:45 PM PST by BenLurkin
Complacency, bureaucracy and an inadequate safety culture led to the failure last year of the Oroville Dam spillway, according to an independent investigation report released Friday.
The findings point to human error by a number of organizations but say that the dam's owner, the California Department of Water Resources, was "significantly overconfident and complacent about the integrity of its State Water Project civil infrastructure, including dams."
It describes the department as an "insular organization which inhibited accessing industry knowledge and developing needed technical expertise." Within the department, the engineering division clashed with the operations and maintenance staff, resulting in a "lack of mutual respect," it found.
There was a belief inside the department that became "mythologized" over the decades that it built the state's water delivery system with the "best of the best" experts, the report said. But the reality was quite different.
The forensics team found that one of the key Oroville spillway designers was hired as a postgraduate with no engineering experience in spillways.
The report found that periodic inspections of the spillway failed to identify the original design flaws and the subsequent deterioration of the spillway's integrity. Instead, a comprehensive review of the original construction and whether it meets modern standards should have been conducted.
...
Exactly how the Department of Water Resources should change its culture was left unaddressed in the report — France suggested the engineering team's expertise is not in management consultancy.
(Excerpt) Read more at beta.latimes.com ...
My experience in the nuclear industry is that the original design is usually sound, and if anything over-designed. Where you get into trouble is increasing capacity or adding features without reassessing the original design assumptions. In addition, deferring manintenence due to budget or schedule always bites your behind.
Sorry, but I had to laugh.
I live in this he’ll hole of a state, want to ask me about the State workers Comp system, I own a small business.
I’m just happy my head does not explode, it’s all the same, can’t wait to get out
This is how California does everything! They steal money from important projects so they can buy votes for re-election. This state is nothing but more than welfare voters being bought with poor taxpayer $$$$.
I could go on for hours but I’m so frustrated I might end up harming myself.
Yep, the Human error occurred when the majority of Voters in CA Elected Democrats.
„The DMV is a highly tuned operation.
It pushes it’s ‘clients’ right to the edge of armed, violent insurrection, but not over it.“
a profound truth in so many ways
Greetings. Happy New year. I haven't spoken much on the new IFT report. Let's say that the independent forensic team (originators) on this report were very diplomatic. However, there is deeper information that, if revealed, can create a big stink bomb.
IF this info were to be made public, it could affect the integrity of the IFT report (either someone missed important docs or ?). It pertains to Fig A-30 (Appendix A) and pages in Appendix G.
Will post this over on the big thread as a cc.
Why is it that this type of news always comes out late Friday afternoon? /s
Not Jerry, his Dad. The dam was designed and started during the Pat Brown Administration.
At least they’re keepin’ it in the family. ;-)
Some years ago, my wife and I caught a bit of a Saturday morning news blurb on an LA station:
... a DMV office at [forgot] was firebombed last night. Police are trying to determine a motive....
Trying to determine a motive, LOL.
A California DWR insider had a nephew—and put him in charge?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.