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

[GRADS]

DWR press conference.
https://www.facebook.com/KCRA3/vide...live_video_explicit&notif_id=1486941585275775

 

[Singleton]

Weather channel has live coverage updates. Nothing about it on SD local nes

 

[Her454]

You are correct. Willie B is in SoCal right now.

I spoke with War Canoe a few minutes ago. He lives on High ground.

Hope Willie B's home will be safe and glad WarCanoe is on higher ground!

 

[Mandelon]

NBC has a news post dated for tomorrow:

Evacuations Underway As Oroville Dam Prepares For Failure
MON, FEB 13

The Oroville Dam?s auxiliary spillway has failed, forcing the evacuations of several counties in California, with between 60,000 and 100,000 people forced to evacuate from Butte, County, Calif., alone.


I am not sure this is an accurate assessment....

 

[Flyinbowtie]

Butte Co. Sheriff is the guy that should have been handling the press release and public information from the git-go.
He has it now. That gives me great relief.
The people that need to know will now hear it from him, correctly, in a timely manner.
That makes me happy.
DWR is a cluster of epic proportions.:grumble:

 

[Her454]

There was an engineer from back east that had posted on an article regarding the integrity of the dam itself. He made a lot of good points and was basically telling people they were in fact in danger and they were not being told all of the facts. He was getting all kind of grief for his article and told he was using scare tactics. This was only yesterday. Guess he was right after all... sad actually. This is something that could have been avoided with proper maintenance and up to date tools to check the spillways erosion and integrity. The emergency spillway had not been used/tested in 40 years.

 

[Flyinbowtie]

There was an engineer from back east that had posted on an article regarding the integrity of the dam itself. He made a lot of good points and was basically telling people they were in fact in danger and they were not being told all of the facts. He was getting all kind of grief for his article and told he was using scare tactics. This was only yesterday. Guess he was right after all... sad actually. This is something that could have been avoided with proper maintenance and up to date tools to check the spillways erosion and integrity. The emergency spillway had not been used/tested in 40 years.

The shitstorm is just started..

 

[Wavemaker]

Insane amounts of water coming out of there in all directions. I just don't understand what the F they were thinking the last three days?

Those persons involved in the decision making process over the past week blew it! Too little to late in making the correct decisions and their ordering of proper preventative actions to be undertaken as a result of inflow amounts of water. Their "Wait and See" attitude to decision making obviously was the wrong path to take in preventing a major disaster. Many people will be facing total loses and financial ruin. These decision makers should be arrested ASAP.

 

[Mandelon]

Residents of Oroville and nearby towns were ordered to immediately evacuate on Sunday afternoon after a ?hazardous situation? developed involving an emergency spillway at the Oroville Dam.

The National Weather Service said the auxiliary spillway at the Oroville Dam was expected to fail about 5:45 p.m., which could send an ?uncontrolled release of flood waters from Lake Oroville.?

Those in Oroville, a city of about 16,000 people, were asked to flee northward toward Chico. In Yuba County, those in the valley areas were urged to take routes to the east, south, or west.

?This is not a drill. This is not a drill. Repeat this is not a drill,? the National Weather Service said. Authorities urged residents to contact neighbors and family members and reach out to the elderly and assist them in evacuating.

 

[bowtiejunkie]

they are saying there's a hole in the emergency spillway. will try to fill it.

I'm watching KCRA live feed from their website.

 

[buck35]

Weather channel has live coverage updates. Nothing about it on SD local nes

Finally found them talking about it a few minutes ago. I guess it's not sensational enough yet for mainstream media to cover:grumble:

 

[RogerThat99]

They just made Hwy 70 one way northbound.

 

[LuckyDaze]

Finally found them talking about it a few minutes ago. I guess it's not sensational enough yet for mainstream media to cover:grumble:

Komo news here in Wa is covering it.

 

[SBMech]

Something I am not understanding, if it can flow 250,000 CFS then why is it not full blast now? Before it collapses the dam via emergency spillway damage? :headscratch:

Every bit of information I see is that it's only flowing 100k.

Who the fuck is making these decisions?

 

[RogerThat99]

They are saying 180,000 people are being evacuated.

 

[Her454]

They just made Hwy 70 one way northbound.

About time!!!!!

 

[Flyinbowtie]

Just something to think about folks...if you are seeing video that was taped in daylight it is old....been dark fer awhile up here...

 

[Mandelon]

So the erosion of the emergency spillway has slowed down. Failure is less imminent....

Failure of the actual dam is still not likely. If the emergency spillway erodes and is undermine it could drop a couple feet or more, that will let a huge sheet of water come off the lake. It would be a shitload of water.... but not the whole dam.

https://www.facebook.com/KCRA3/videos/vb.115763581513/10155026665766514/?type=2&theater

 

[Her454]

The fallout from this will have inspectors checking and double checking every dam across the US for years to come, AS THEY SHOULD.

 

[Willie B]

Hope Willie B's home will be safe and glad WarCanoe is on higher ground!

..Thanks where I am is actually Berry Creek which is on the opposite side of the lake from the dam...I look right down on the dam... fortunately I suppose I am currently in North Hollywood... does it have me a little bit rattled that would be a mild understatement..

 

[GRADS]

So the erosion of the emergency spillway has slowed down. Failure is less imminent....

Even if the flow over the spillway stops that doesn't mean the failure can't happen. It's like a levee and if the levee gets a boil in it watch out.

 

[Mandelon]

http://www.kcra.com/nowcast

 

[Wavemaker]

Komo news here in Wa is covering it.

KNBC News in Los Angeles has just broadcast a report with videos taken from helicopters showing the "uncontrolled release of water from Oroville Dam." Also showed videos of roads in total gridlock, and stated CHP was made Hwy 70 a totally Southbound highway by opening northbound lanes to now be also Southbound traffic.

 

[Flyinbowtie]

So the erosion of the emergency spillway has slowed down. Failure is less imminent....

Failure of the actual dam is still not likely. If the emergency spillway erodes and is undermine it could drop a couple feet or more, that will let a huge sheet of water come off the lake. It would be a shitload of water.... but not the whole dam.

https://www.facebook.com/KCRA3/videos/vb.115763581513/10155026665766514/?type=2&theater

The emergency spillway is 90 ft tall. I have rappelled off of it. Open a 90 ft. tall 900 ft long gap and 90 ft. of water comes out of the lake.

 

[Mandelon]

You're right..... probably fail in sections....but it certainly could break and come crumbling down.

 

[Her454]

You're right..... probably fail in sections....but it certainly could break and come crumbling down.

Not to mention the force and pressure of another extended storm heading in.....

 

[HavasuHank]

Been keeping a close eye on this thread and the news.

One of our pipelines crosses the Feather River and things don't look good at all.

 

[Flyinbowtie]

There is a plan (so to speak) to use Helicopters to drop bags of rock into the "hole" in the foundation of the emergency-auxiliary spillway (the only spillway that doesn't have a concrete spillway attached to it) and plug the hole.
How they do this in the dark I dunno.
Helicopters are staging, lots and lots of helicopters.

I wonder who will be in the movie....
Perhaps they could get Bobcat Goldwaithe to play one of the DWR people.

 

[Mandelon]

I think Dwayne the rock Johnson should be the helicopter pilot.

 

[SoCalDave]

The emergency spillway is 90 ft tall. I have rappelled off of it. Open a 90 ft. tall 900 ft long gap and 90 ft. of water comes out of the lake.

Unfortunately that is going to be real ugly...

 

[RogerThat99]

If the emergency spillway Let go, you could have erosion that that couldn't be stopped, like a chain reaction, due to the massive flow of water.

 

[Flyinbowtie]

Another I/C is being stood up in Red Bluff.
This leads me to believe they think this thing is going to go. BCSO H.Q. is about 1/2 mile from the river below the dam...

 

[crzy2bealive]

I havent checked on this thread in a few days and it went from 0 to 100 real quick!

 

[Her454]

Toy hauler after toy hauler heading out of town. Total gridlock trying to get gas...

 

[4Waters]

If the emergency spillway Let go, you could have erosion that that couldn't be stopped, like a chain reaction, due to the massive flow of water.

This is the problem it could undermine the flood gate super structure and continue to the dam for a complete dam failure

 

[jones performance]

There is a plan (so to speak) to use Helicopters to drop bags of rock into the "hole" in the foundation of the emergency-auxiliary spillway (the only spillway that doesn't have a concrete spillway attached to it) and plug the hole.
How they do this in the dark I dunno.
Helicopters are staging, lots and lots of helicopters.

I wonder who will be in the movie....
Perhaps they could get Bobcat Goldwaithe to play one of the DWR people.

Or maybe Steve guttenburg

 

[zhandfull]

Thinking to myself leave the toy hauler and jump on a motorcycle if I was in that situation.

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

I think Dwayne the rock Johnson should be the helicopter pilot.

Shouldn't he play the part of the rock that seals up the spillway?

 

[Tinkerer]

Does anyone have a picture of before the dam was built?
The area of the Emergency spillway is probably on native ground " bedrock "
Notice the water color coming off of the main spillway is no longer muddy. It has hit bedrock.

 

[GRADS]

They are dumping 100,000 CFS out of the original spillway. Why did they not do this a week ago?:headscratch: These are the same :loser: that we've been dealing with at Folsom. I'm by no means an expert but I think I could do a better job.:grumble:

 

[Flyinbowtie]

I just looked at my old training materials from that rappelling class. The emergency spill structure is about 65 ft. tall, not 90.
I need to start throwing some of this stuff away...:eek

 

[Mandelon]

They are dumping 100,000 CFS out of the original spillway. Why did they not do this a week ago?:headscratch: These are the same :loser: that we've been dealing with at Folsom. I'm by no means an expert but I think I could do a better job.:grumble:

Gotta agree with that.

 

[Singleton]

They are dumping 100,000 CFS out of the original spillway. Why did they not do this a week ago?:headscratch: These are the same :loser: that we've been dealing with at Folsom. I'm by no means an expert but I think I could do a better job.:grumble:

Should of been dumping that amount starting Friday. Someone made a huge mistake and I hope it does not cost a ton of folks property. The idiot who decided to not up the outflow better get fired.

 

[zhandfull]

Think they were trying to manage the situation and save the hydo plant from being flood damaged

 

[GRADS]

After this lakes in NorCal will never be above 50% full.

 

[4Waters]

Think they were trying to manage the situation and save the hydo plant from being flood damaged

Well at least they saved the power plant 👍

 

[Mandelon]

Press conference says several outbound highways are going all lanes northbound. No southbound traffic allowed. They are trying to get folks out of town.

 

[Pelon]

Does anyone have a picture of before the dam was built?
The area of the Emergency spillway is probably on native ground " bedrock "
Notice the water color coming off of the main spillway is no longer muddy. It has hit bedrock.

I think you are right. You can see in this picture that the main spillway was cut into bedrock.

 

[4Waters]

After this lakes in NorCal will never be above 50% full.

I'd laugh but you are probably right.

 

[Justfishing]

Am I the only one who thinks they should have had that fucking thing wide open, regardless of the damage to the spillway, for the last week?

This all seems avoidable...all the way back to 2013 when they are seen inspecting some obvious damage in the exact spot.

Prayers and positive thoughts to everyone affected by this, I hope you are all safe.

I agree with you. I think they wanted to prove that the emergency spillway worked. If they had been at 100k cfs all week it wouldnt have reached that high.