Oroville dam spillway close to collapse
#1
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Oroville dam spillway close to collapse
Largest dam in the USA. Apparently they never tested the emergency spillway. Current information here:
http://www.kcra.com/nowcast
Not a good time to be visiting Oroville, Chico, and other nearby areas as hotels are full.
From SacBee:
Boulders dropped in effort to shore up spillway
At 9 p.m. a state water official said the concrete lip of the emergency spillway was still holding.
“The erosion has slowed, and I think we’re going to be OK,” said state Department of Water Resources spokesman Chris Orrock.
Orrock said efforts Sunday night to shore up the damage included the use of six helicopters that were dropping containers of boulders onto the damaged hillside.
<snip>
Lake Oroville water levels have fallen to 901 feet, the level at which water flows over the emergency spillway, state figures from 8 p.m. show.
That means little or no water is likely coming over the emergency spillway – and the threat of collapse due to erosion has diminished said Joe Countryman, a member of the Central Valley Flood Protection Board and a former engineer with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
<snip>
This does not mean that the risk of catastrophic flooding has passed. Officials released water so quickly over the damaged main spillway that they may have further threatened its integrity, Countryman said.
<snip>
http://www.kcra.com/nowcast
Not a good time to be visiting Oroville, Chico, and other nearby areas as hotels are full.
From SacBee:
Boulders dropped in effort to shore up spillway
At 9 p.m. a state water official said the concrete lip of the emergency spillway was still holding.
“The erosion has slowed, and I think we’re going to be OK,” said state Department of Water Resources spokesman Chris Orrock.
Orrock said efforts Sunday night to shore up the damage included the use of six helicopters that were dropping containers of boulders onto the damaged hillside.
<snip>
Lake Oroville water levels have fallen to 901 feet, the level at which water flows over the emergency spillway, state figures from 8 p.m. show.
That means little or no water is likely coming over the emergency spillway – and the threat of collapse due to erosion has diminished said Joe Countryman, a member of the Central Valley Flood Protection Board and a former engineer with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
<snip>
This does not mean that the risk of catastrophic flooding has passed. Officials released water so quickly over the damaged main spillway that they may have further threatened its integrity, Countryman said.
<snip>
Last edited by TWA884; Feb 13, 2017 at 8:14 am Reason: FT Rule 9: Copyright violation
#3
Join Date: Nov 1999
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Update: Oroville Dam auxiliary spillway suffers erosion, nearby residents evacuated - hydroworld.com
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This may be concerning for a few months with precipitation and snowmelt.
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This may be concerning for a few months with precipitation and snowmelt.
#4
Join Date: Feb 2017
Posts: 1
Oroville dam
has anyone thought of securing a gigantic plastic tarp over the concrete spillway so that water can go down without further destroying the concrete? Naturally it would have to be securely attached to the surrounding soil, but there must be some way to cover the concrete spillway temporarily during this crisis.
#5
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has anyone thought of securing a gigantic plastic tarp over the concrete spillway so that water can go down without further destroying the concrete? Naturally it would have to be securely attached to the surrounding soil, but there must be some way to cover the concrete spillway temporarily during this crisis.
#6
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#7
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Dramatic images showing the extent of the damage:
Here is one:
Here is one: