California Spillway Collapse at Major Dam

[video=youtube;YL6bx4B3ERc]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YL6bx4B3ERc[/video]

 

It's the fault of global warming. California is getting too much rain.

 

The question in my mind is, why did the sink hole form? I don't know all the variables but a few have to be: The original planners weren't aware of instability, poor drainage, and peculation or leakage from the dam itself.

The immediate concern being, could a 900 foot dam capable of flooding the entire Sacramento valley, be compromised? Oroville Lake is huge - something like 16,000 acres of surface area and up to 900 feet deep! A failure would be catastrophic on a very large scale. I believe it is the largest earth-fill dam in the world.

 

Obama would say it's Bush's fault for not preventing the flood but Trump doesn't play those silly games.

 

How about staying on topic?

 

http://www.latimes.com/local/califo...-situation-became-a-1486958195-htmlstory.html

 

The spillway is earthen which could be the cause...There are some stories that in 2005 they were told it should be capped with concrete to prevent such erosion but it didn't happen. So...The MAIN spillway got eroded then, they started letting water out of the EMERGENCY spillway and it too eroded and that is the one that could have collapsed sending a 35' tall wall of water down the Feather River.

Yes if the dam (at 770') collapsed the whole CA valley would be a disaster area. So far they say the dam itself is not compromised...it is essentially separate from the spillways.

Environmentalists have also blocked new reservoirs and mandated the destruction of smaller dams over the years and some say the lack of those reservoirs put extra pressure on Oroville Dam.

 

What is Trump doing? I really don't understand why so many pols don't see these things as golden opportunities for good PR but just dither about, talking about jurisdiction and whatnot. If somebody IS doing something they could offer help, and if nobody is on the stick then they're going to look good whether the guy who's supposed to be there (*)(*)(*)(*)(*)es or not, (in fact they'll look even better if they do).

An Army is a really good thing to have in these circumstances. Trump is supposedly the Get 'er done guy, he should be on top of this, at least doing a tweet or something

 

I assume you mean that they should have capped the emergency spillway? Why did the sink hole form in the main spillway? It is all concrete.. or it was.

Also, yes, this isn't actually part of the main dam. But if the main spillway completely failed, I believe it could be almost as bad as a dam failure, just a bit slower. One you start overtopping a structure it will erode quickly. I wonder how far back the main spillway might or could erode before the rains end. Could it compromise the entire hill and drain the lake?

PS. I've stood directly across from the spillway during a full release... down at the river bottom, not on the road where the news crews shoot. I would guess maybe 60 mph winds and buckets of water hitting you constantly. It was INSANE. And the truth is, it was a really dangerous thing to do. The next day, the hill where I stood was completely gone. It had been scoured down to the bedrock. I think it was the first time a 100% sustained release was done.

 

They're worried the dam could still break. What would this do to already rising sea levels?

 

It is insignificant as far as sea levels go but it would flood the Sac Valley with something like 3 feet of water, starting with, in a worst case, a 700 foot wall of water. It is also a critical reserve of water for the State.

 

Gov. Brown should probably order swimming lessons be given in Spanish ASAP.

 

Maybe California should've spent more on infrastructure and less supporting illegals.

Just sayin...

 

How do you swim in Spanish?

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Is it possible for the nut farm to stay on topic?

 

Sorry, I thought the topic was a dam in California.

 

Sure enough - BLAME OBAMA!


Yup. Expect more of that now that Trump's regime is proving to be a failure.

 

There doesn't appear to be a catastrophe on the horizon, but I'm sure homeowners insurance is going to become costly in the flood path real soon.

 

All that extra water going into the ocean has to be affecting global sea levels. Is the EPA going to fine California for contributing to coastal flooding?

 

As people evacuate it should be announced that looters will be shot - and mean it. People do not like to evacuate, including fearing everything they have will be stolen and/or vandalized.

I bet U-Haul in the region is having a brisk business.

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If the spillway is earth filled it is going to hollow out VERY quickly.

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Absolutely nothing because the water would end up there sooner or later anyway.

 

So there's no truth to the rumor they're evacuating Catalina Island then. That much water doesn't just go away it seeks its own level.

 

Evacuations at Catalina Island were over fires. The Island also is sinking.

A surge is not the same as sea level rising. Tidal surges from hurricanes hit here now and then. They can be very destructive. However, the overall levels of the oceans did not change.

Looking a map Catalina Island seems too far off shore to be affected even if the entire dam breaks. However, it might be an area with a surge even of an inch or two could cause some damage. Ocean water can carry a lot of bacteria and other harmful micro-organisms.

 

What happened to that never ending drought caused by global warming?

 

A rogue polar vortex came along and wiped out the last 10 years of global warming. Looks like we dodged a bullet.

 

The main spillway was concrete, but it developed a sinkhole, and there is a gaping hole in the concrete--a similar thing happened in the past. That's why they went to the emergency spillway, which is earthen. They were told that they should concrete the emergency spillway, but they didn't.

 

Catalina Island is sinking fairly slowly. I think it will be submerged in about 3 million years.

http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-catalina-20150425-story.html