Oroville Dam disaster

[aostling]

This is OT., but I wonder if we have any members in the vicinity of Oroville. As I understand it the emergency spillway is expected to fail (the primary spillway is already out of action).

Oroville, the highest dam in the USA, is apparently not in danger of failing. But if the emergency spillway is eroding I don't understand how the integrity of the dam can be maintained.

I don't have a good link to streaming coverage, or coverage of the streaming (take your pick). I hope this will not be hard to find.

[EddyCurr]

Fail? As in erode away due to flow exceeding volume/duration design limits? Or due to something else?

The title says 'Oroville Dam Disaster'. Has the disaster begun or is it pending. What is at stake.

[CalM]

This is OT., but I wonder if we have any members in the vicinity of Oroville. As I understand it the emergency spillway is expected to fail (the primary spillway is already out of action).

Oroville, the highest dam in the USA, is apparently not in danger of failing. But if the emergency spillway is eroding I don't understand how the integrity of the dam can be maintained.

I don't have a good link to streaming coverage, or coverage of the streaming (take your pick). I hope this will not be hard to find.

You are making **** up

The sluice way concrete surface surface has broken up in some areas, but that is not a disaster.

[EddyCurr]

Ok, found a recent video. Definately looks serious, I sure would not want to be downstream tonight after what I just saw ...

LiveCopter3 surveys Oroville auxilliary spillway

[Willy]

I've been following this story since it's inception. Very tense situation, seems as though developments are changing by the hour.
My best wishes to all of those affected by this potential catastrophe. Hope they get a handle on it soon.

The latest news is not good!


http://www.latimes.com/local/califor...htmlstory.html

Feb. 12, 2017, 8:05 p.m.
"This is not a Drill. Repeat this is not a drill,” the National Weather Service said Sunday, urging people living below Oroville Dam to evacuate. The evacuation was ordered because of a “hazardous situation” involving the Northern California dam's emergency spillway. The National Weather Service said the auxiliary spillway is expected to fail and could send an “uncontrolled release of flood waters from Lake Oroville.”

[lakeside53]

You are making **** up

The sluice way concrete surface surface has broken up in some areas, but that is not a disaster.

He's not and that not the issue. The emergency spillway (not the concrete spillway) is being undercut so they have now massively increased the flow down the damaged concrete spillway.

As at 8 pm pst it looks like the disaster many be avoided - lake has fallen almost enough but the main spillway will be toast.

[MikeL46]

Fortunately the spillway and emergency spillway are separate from the dam and the dam is in no danger. But, many thousands of residents have already evacuated because of the risk of the emergency spillway failing and causing downstream flooding. And a major rain is forecast in the next couple of days. So, they still have to let the damaged spillway carry water to lower the lake so the coming rains won't cause the emergency spillway to fail catastrophically.

It will be a tense few days for residents downstream from the dam.

Mike

[EddyCurr]

In the video link earlier, near the end there is footage of a bridge well down river where the water level appears nearing the underside of the spans. Odd to see heavy evacuee congestion in two lanes of the bridge while the other two lanes (opposite direction) remain empty.

[kendall]

Hopefully they get it under control soon, Apparently no smaller dams upstream?

Biggest problem with the spillway is that it's an earthen dam, same as Hardy up here. It's essentially a dirt pile supporting a thin concrete face on the upstream side. A failed spillway is not good at all for an earthen dam.

[Illinoyance]

In the video I see water leaking through the embankment to the left of the emergency spillway. That is a very bad thing. If I lived below the dam I would be very frightened.

[wierdscience]

In the video link earlier, near the end there is footage of a bridge well down river where the water level appears nearing the underside of the spans. Odd to see heavy evacuee congestion in two lanes of the bridge while the other two lanes (opposite direction) remain empty.

Especially since Contra-flow is relatively easy to setup.

If the rains continue until spring thaw this could real interesting,real quick.

[1-800miner]

This is happening not too far from me and I have been keeping up with the news and many people from face book in that area are telling what they see.
The low lying sections of Oroville and nearby towns are being evacuated. The flow has decreased. a few hours ago the emergency spill way had two to four inches going over. Doesn't sound like much but it is a very wide spillway of natural soil and rocks, water has never flowed over it before and erosion may go out of control.

Before the water crested the emergency spillway they had dozens of concrete pumpers set up there trying to reinforce the soil. I heard they were using every concrete plant for miles around to supply the pumpers.

Last I heard the fresh concrete was undermining and collapsing. Local news just said they are going to use helicopters and air drop boulders at the top, to try to slow the erosion.

That sounds like a desperate measure to me.

the main spill way is eroding uphill and they are worried it will erode up to the control valves. So they are afraid to let any more water out that direction.

This could be bad.

I have lived here since 77 and never seen anything like these storms.

[Evan]

We can expect a lot more violent weather. Just last Thursday there was an incredible jump in temperature at the northernmost weather recorder on Earth. At the very top end of Greenland the highest temp for Feb 9th was -22F. Last Thursday it hit 35F, melting temp, up 57 degrees over the previous record. There is no sun there this time of year. Even here in Canada this morning it was 40F at Hay River which is near 60 degrees north. It should be minus 30 or so. It isn't going to get any better for a very long time.

[1-800miner]

They just closed south bound highway 99 and turned the whole freeway into northbound traffic to make room for evacuees going north.
Good news, the water has receded from the emergency spillway. Bad news, we have another rain coming Wednesday.

[wierdscience]

This link to a slideshow has pictures of the spillway damage.Photo #29 shows the extent of the damage as of Thursday morning according to the caption.If the damage was that bad Thursday morning I wonder just how bad it is now?

http://www.latimes.com/visuals/photo...togallery.html