When the levee breaks....Lake Oroville dam in trouble.

[zhandfull]

900.89 [emoji15]
It'll spill this hour.
View attachment 538665

Yep - only about an inch and a half to go. Lake still rising over two inches an hour.

Oroville will have the new trendy infinity lake feature.

 

[TX Foilhead]

Just saw something that said they a worried about a some of powerline structures so they backed off on the floodgates last night. I guess it's going to go over the emergency spillway a little, they're expecting the river downstream to go to 75000cfs so just about 20000cfs down the emergency spillway.

 

[RCDave]

I read it's am inch from the emergency spillway and 20k cfs was anticipated at 7am

 

[RogerThat99]

901.09' at 08:00. Should be going over the spillway.

 

[RogerThat99]

The water is trickling over the spillway now. You could see it in video.

 

[napanutt]

It's flowing over now.

 

[jones performance]

Video was from April of 2016 bud. All of you Californians were whining about how water was stored and or used for the last 5 - 10 years, because you were not getting snow pack or rain. I just find it funny how ignorant people can be on both sides of the political fence, and this site is a prime example of that. Just use the search engine on RDP regarding water and neither side can say shit. The weather is totally unpredictable, and guess what? Dams were built to control flooding first, agriculture, drinking water 2nd and 3rd. California's water distribution system was built around that, not boating, fishing, selling it all to SO Cal etc. It was a means of controlling flooding. It has turned in to a political and financial grab bag.

I lived in Sacramento for 10 years, still recall being water rationed when SO Cal wasn't in the 80's. That was bullshit. SO Cal needs to deal with the fact they don't have any natural source of water, other than what is purchased. Many posters on this site were belly aching about water just last summer. Same people are now trying to put blame on the how the Orville dam was managed, should have dumped sooner etc. Must be nice to live your life as an armchair bitch and complainer. Posters from Arizona are in my opinion in the same boat as people in SO Cal bitching about Nor Cal and how they manage water.

As the late great Sam Kinison said, you all live in a fucking desert. Don't blame anyone else, MOVE.

Where the Fuck did I say I was blaming anyone BUD!

 

[Riverbound]

Video was from April of 2016 bud. All of you Californians were whining about how water was stored and or used for the last 5 - 10 years, because you were not getting snow pack or rain. I just find it funny how ignorant people can be on both sides of the political fence, and this site is a prime example of that. Just use the search engine on RDP regarding water and neither side can say shit. The weather is totally unpredictable, and guess what? Dams were built to control flooding first, agriculture, drinking water 2nd and 3rd. California's water distribution system was built around that, not boating, fishing, selling it all to SO Cal etc. It was a means of controlling flooding. It has turned in to a political and financial grab bag.

I lived in Sacramento for 10 years, still recall being water rationed when SO Cal wasn't in the 80's. That was bullshit. SO Cal needs to deal with the fact they don't have any natural source of water, other than what is purchased. Many posters on this site were belly aching about water just last summer. Same people are now trying to put blame on the how the Orville dam was managed, should have dumped sooner etc. Must be nice to live your life as an armchair bitch and complainer. Posters from Arizona are in my opinion in the same boat as people in SO Cal bitching about Nor Cal and how they manage water.

As the late great Sam Kinison said, you all live in a fucking desert. Don't blame anyone else, MOVE.

I will read this when I'm done watering my lawn. It's been raining for days so I haven't been able to.

 

[Pelon]

http://www.kcra.com/article/water-begins-to-spill-over-oroville-emergency-spillway/8732032

 

[Hardly Satisfied]

Wow that crazy how much water is over flowing there.

 

[RogerThat99]

It's flowing over now.
View attachment 538678

Sorry Bro...er I mean Vin. Just a minute too slow.

 

[RogerThat99]

Herr is a better pic.

 

[RCDave]

https://m.facebook.com/graphsearch/...top?tsid=0.03986379506032489&source=typeahead

 

[cole_skier]

That is a crazy amount of water. I remember my dad taking my brother and I up to Shasta Dam sometime around 70 or 71 and they where letting out like 62,000 cfs and whole dam was shaking. Flooded the whole Park Marina area of Redding

 

[Flyinbowtie]

Well they didn't listen.
Actually, they should have listened about a week ago. And they didn't...so this event isn't over.
Asleep at the the wheel, so to speak.
Now they need to concentrate on getting as much water as they are able to move through the system and down and out of the lake and through the delta as is possible before the next wave arrives around Thursday.
The problem that is on the horizon is much bigger than the crisis they have allowed to happen at Oroville.
Think about this...
Shasta is reaching capacity in the north valley. The Sacramento River, through which both reservoirs ultimately drain, is pretty much pushing as much down through the delta as it can without creating a problem in downtown Sacramento. With Shasta filling rapidly their ability to control things is running out. When the next wave gets here they will have two very large very full reservoirs that no longer can provide much hold back, and a river system that is maxed out.
Further downstream from Oroville, on the Feather is the Yuba Watershed, which is controlled by Bullards Bar Dam, which is at more than 85%...Bullards is a concrete Dam with a large spillway, they are dumping 40,000 CFS now, and the only downstream dam from it of any consequence is Englebright, which is overmax and dumping over the dam (as designed).
So the Feather will grow before it hits the Sacramento, north of the city, as the Feather and the Yuba combine to feed it.
And then there is the American, which is controlled by Folsom. which is almost maxed out.
The Sacramento Weir, basically a big gate in the side of the Sacramento that they open to allow water from the river out into a vast open area, which takes pressure off of the levee system that channels the river through Sacto, has been open for a week...
Then, the American River joins the Sacramento literally in downtown Sac.
The long range models for weather are converging, and another 7 day blast of rain is due to arrive on Thursday.
From what I hear they are now just trying to dump as much water as possible and perhaps gain a day or two of control, but around next Saturday there will be no more room in the system which means the road ahead, weather depending, could take the north state into uncharted....waters, no pun intended.
And that is going to prove an age old adage...
It is sometimes better to live at the top of the hill than in the valley at the bottom.
The next couple of weeks are probably gonna be one of those times.

This will end, and when it does the after action investigation will begin. Heads are gonna roll. Huge amounts of money are going to have to be sourced to repair this, and the powers that be are going to be scrambling for that money.
Politics is gonna get interesting, and I am sure will disgust most of us as the game is afoot even already.

 

[Pelon]

The long range models for weather are converging, and another 7 day blast of rain is due to arrive on Thursday.
.

Here is the next ten day expected cumulative precipitation. These next set of storms are supposed to be colder, so hopefully not as much runoff. I think you are correct. This has the potential to be a disaster.

 

[bowtiejunkie]

Bureau of Reclamation is saying Shasta is 37 feet too high right now. They're increasing flows this weekend to draw down lake and there will more then likely be flooding down river. Keswick Dam is also ramping up flows this weekend to 70,000 cfs by Sunday. A lot of water to flow through Sacramento River.

 

[Flyinbowtie]

They will get the Sacramento right to the bleeding edge over the next few days...and test the hell out of the Levee system.
They really have no choice.
The inbound weather is colder, as was shared above. Snowpack above 5000 ft, in the Sierras is better than rain, but it will rain, as it almost always does, below that.
The watershed is at max water capacity, I can hardly keep up on the road closures due to sluffing and collapsing this morning, I-80 is closed at Baxter do to mudslide, Hwy 49 is closed due to sluffing, major arteries all over are down, and some will be down for weeks.

This is gonna be dicey. Once the lakes are maxed and the rivers are maxed we have no control.
It will be as if the flood control system didn't exist.
Perhaps it will wake the state up, but frankly, I doubt it.
Even if we dodge this bullet the odds are winter won't end in February.
And we sure as heck can't handle a early warm spring.
The odds ain't the kind I bet on.

 

[dread Pirate]

They will get the Sacramento right to the bleeding edge over the next few days...and test the hell out of the Levee system.
They really have no choice.
The inbound weather is colder, as was shared above. Snowpack above 5000 ft, in the Sierras is better than rain, but it will rain, as it almost always does, below that.
The watershed is at max water capacity, I can hardly keep up on the road closures due to sluffing and collapsing this morning, I-80 is closed at Baxter do to mudslide, Hwy 49 is closed due to sluffing, major arteries all over are down, and some will be down for weeks.

This is gonna be dicey. Once the lakes are maxed and the rivers are maxed we have no control.
It will be as if the flood control system didn't exist.
Perhaps it will wake the state up, but frankly, I doubt it.
Even if we dodge this bullet the odds are winter won't end in February.
And we sure as heck can't handle a early warm spring.
The odds ain't the kind I bet on.

This is one of those times I appreciate being up on a hill made of rock.

 

[TX Foilhead]

Sometimes things just don't go as planned. Not bad so far, the helicopter view in that last Facebook video shows what looks to be a lay down yard off the side of the spillway, I guess that's what they were trying to avoid washing down stream.

The next week should be interesting, will they close the floodgates an try to get something done with the spillway and the tail race or will they just try to get the level down?

Anyone know if Lake Shasta is controlled by the same group?

Anyone know how long it takes water to get from Shasta to the Bay?

 

[napanutt]

Sorry Bro...er I mean Vin. Just a minute too slow.

[emoji13][emoji13][emoji13]

 

[Willie B]

...From watching the KCRA live feed it shows a lot of water coming over the emergency spillway but it doesn't show where it's going...doesn't seem to be taking the path they cut for it...is it eroding the frontside of the dam???...

 

[Flyinbowtie]

News choppers apparently ordered out of area, and the emergency spill water is now entering the Feather River.
Water flow from main spill has been increased.

 

[zhandfull]

(

...From watching the KCRA live feed it shows a lot of water coming over the emergency spillway but it doesn't show where it's going...doesn't seem to be taking the path they cut for it...is it eroding the frontside of the dam???...

Only four five inches above spillway right now. I thought they said at press conference yesterday that a 2 feet sheet of water going over would be about 20,000cfs.
Damn if I know but I suspect the amount of water going over the top is not much compared to that being discharged out of the damaged spillway itself.

 

[4Waters]

Sometimes things just don't go as planned. Not bad so far, the helicopter view in that last Facebook video shows what looks to be a lay down yard off the side of the spillway, I guess that's what they were trying to avoid washing down stream.

The next week should be interesting, will they close the floodgates an try to get something done with the spillway and the tail race or will they just try to get the level down?

Anyone know if Lake Shasta is controlled by the same group?

Anyone know how long it takes water to get from Shasta to the Bay?

They will not do anything to the spillway as a repair would take a year at least with a blank check working big crews 24hrs a day if they close the gates it will be because they want to see the damage, and so do we. If all the soil is washed away and the water is on bedrock I don't think they will do anything to the spillway.

 

[Sleek-Jet]

They put up a TFR...

http://tfr.faa.gov/save_pages/detail_7_3513.html

 

[GRADS]

It's not rocket science....If there's 85,000 CFS going in and the lake is full and spilling over guess how much is coming out? 85,000 CFS

 

[chaser]

They put up a TFR...

http://tfr.faa.gov/save_pages/detail_7_3513.html

Does this include drones ?

 

[Sleek-Jet]

Does this include drones ?

Pretty sure it does.

 

[chaser]

It's not rocket science....If there's 85,000 CFS going in and the lake is full and spilling over guess how much is coming out? 85,000 CFS

Minus whats coming out of controlled spillway ???

 

[H2O]

They will get the Sacramento right to the bleeding edge over the next few days...and test the hell out of the Levee system.
They really have no choice.
The inbound weather is colder, as was shared above. Snowpack above 5000 ft, in the Sierras is better than rain, but it will rain, as it almost always does, below that.
The watershed is at max water capacity, I can hardly keep up on the road closures due to sluffing and collapsing this morning, I-80 is closed at Baxter do to mudslide, Hwy 49 is closed due to sluffing, major arteries all over are down, and some will be down for weeks.

This is gonna be dicey. Once the lakes are maxed and the rivers are maxed we have no control.
It will be as if the flood control system didn't exist.
Perhaps it will wake the state up, but frankly, I doubt it.
Even if we dodge this bullet the odds are winter won't end in February.
And we sure as heck can't handle a early warm spring.
The odds ain't the kind I bet on.

Where does Tahoe feed into the system?

Article says Tahoe gained 8.7 billion gallons in just 2 days, and is currently about 3' above the natural rim.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/trevorn...-7-billion-gallons-water-2-days/#a3d1e4436c63

 

[dread Pirate]

Where does Tahoe feed into the system?

Article says Tahoe gained 8.7 billion gallons in just 2 days, and is currently about 3' above the natural rim.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/trevorn...-7-billion-gallons-water-2-days/#a3d1e4436c63

Tahoe drains into Nevada.

 

[H2O]

Tahoe drains into Nevada.

ok, good...they can use the water

 

[CHEETAH24]

Maybe a dumb question, but why can't you fly over the dam ?

 

[dread Pirate]

Maybe a dumb question, but why can't you fly over the dam ?

i'm guessing,, "Nothing to see here folks, keep moving along. Kim Kardashian just blew someone"

 

[coolchange]

Home land security.

 

[Willie B]

Maybe a dumb question, but why can't you fly over the dam ?

... started to be fixed wing aircraft circling the site along with Helios that were supposed to be there doing their job plus the news copter...the ban is 3000 feet and below...KCRA was already flying at 3200 feet when the ban was put into effect...because of potential idiots they simply got the hell out of there...

 

[Pelon]

[video=youtube;uux0bjzSh7Y]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uux0bjzSh7Y[/video]

 

[Sleek-Jet]

i'm guessing,, "Nothing to see here folks, keep moving along. Kim Kardashian just blew someone"

Or...

having a bunch of aircraft over one spot can be dangerous. This is the same thing they do over most any wildfire, even those that don't have air assets on scene.

 

[GRADS]

A no fly zone means no drones as well. If you watched the KCRA feed you'll know why they slapped a no fly zone on it. The helicopter pilot said there were too many looky loo pilots flying over the dam without radio contact.t. He said it got to dangerous to even fly near it. As far as Tahoe goes, it's still really low.

 

[HST4ME]

[video=youtube;uux0bjzSh7Y]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uux0bjzSh7Y[/video]

Looks like it runs as advertised, unlike the main spillway. :thumbup:

 

[boat527]

[video=youtube;uux0bjzSh7Y]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uux0bjzSh7Y[/video]

You know... I just followed the vid to YouTube and its videographer " e72knight" or whatever... saw his with titles like " SHOCKING FOOTAGE" and

OROVILLE SPILLWAY jumps its banks!!!

C'mon people .. at least this is going according to plan! Kind of

I hope you dont get 8 inches of rain this next week , which may be bad or good..

DWS might think " HEY.. we need MORE reservoirs!"

just a thought

 

[buck35]

Currantly with minimal flows it looks ok , but it will be interesting to see what happens after a few days or weeks if the inflow continues to outpace the # they are comfortable releasing through the spillway and power plant.

 

[boat527]

Currantly with minimal flows it looks ok , but it will be interesting to see what happens after a few days or weeks if the inflow continues to outpace the # they are comfortable releasing through the spillway and power plant.

Looking at these numbers, the power plant is hardly being used ( ??) I think I heard on that last briefing that water was backing up there and they turned it off.. ( worried about silt and debris)


Cant tell anymore, just trying to keep up like everyone else!

https://cdec.water.ca.gov/cgi-progs/staMeta?station_id=FOL

 

[OldSchoolBoats]

You know... I just followed the vid to YouTube and its videographer " e72knight" or whatever... saw his with titles like " SHOCKING FOOTAGE" and

OROVILLE SPILLWAY jumps its banks!!!

F em all.. C'mon people .. at least this is going according to plan! Kind of

I hope you dont get 8 inches of rain this next week , which may be bad or good..

DWS might think " HEY.. we need MORE reservoirs!"

just a thought

People have been calling for more reservoirs for years but the clown's that run this state would rather build a train and welcome illegals with welfare and free education....Fucking idiots.

 

[Flyinbowtie]

Storm door opens again Thursday, a cooler storm, 1-1.5 inches of rain in the foothills and snow above 4500 ft. Then, another one coming Saturday, another inch, and more the following that. As I said earlier I don''t see them slowing down any releases from any of the reservoirs in the north end of the state until they have to.
Right now every foot of storage is going to be worth fighting for when the next systems arrive.
If you are wondering we generally don't see winter back off until late April or May. I've seen it snow or rain in May more than I care to remember.
They are up guessing 1-200 million in repairs just at Oroville, not counting all the damage to infrastructure that has been hammered elsewhere. there are communities where the main roadway into them has been damaged and caused the road to be closed, so detours, sometimes adding 50 miles to the trip, are in play, putting pressure on secondary roads that are not designed to handle the traffic.

I think before summer arrives people are going to be going nuts telling Sacramento to shut down the bullet train from Stockton to Bakersfield and fix the damn stuff we have. Sacramento isn't prone to listening tho, so who knows.

 

[Flyinbowtie]

People have been calling for more reservoirs for years but the clown's that run this state would rather build a train and welcome illegals with welfare and free education....Fucking idiots.

There has been a plan, actually I think a couple of them, on the table to raise Shasta Dam for years. The eco-nazis and other assorted idiots go bonkers.

The following link has a great explanation of how the system at Oroville works, the power and pump-back system is pretty ingenious.
http://www.norcalwater.org/water-maps/oroville/

 

[zhandfull]

It's not rocket science....If there's 85,000 CFS going in and the lake is full and spilling over guess how much is coming out? 85,000 CFS

If that theory was true I dont think the lake elevation would continue to be rising like it has been all day.

 

[Willie B]

There has been a plan, actually I think a couple of them, on the table to raise Shasta Dam for years. The eco-nazis and other assorted idiots go bonkers.

The following link has a great explanation of how the system at Oroville works, the power and pump-back system is pretty ingenious.
http://www.norcalwater.org/water-maps/oroville/

...thanks for the link I've been up there close to 17 years and did not know quite a bit of that...

 

[Pelon]

[video=youtube;bephol1Ormg]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bephol1Ormg[/video]