Author Topic: Auxilliary spillway failure at the Oroville Dam (Read 58123 times)

Elk · « **Reply #1 on:** Feb 12, 17, 08:13:22 PM »

I have been following this for a few days and here are a few links to local news outlets that have good coverage if you're interested...

http://www.kcra.com/

http://fox40.com/

http://www.krcrtv.com/

Wrightwood · « **Reply #2 on:** Feb 12, 17, 08:20:56 PM »

LIVE VIEW: State Emergency Operations Center

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJVG0z1g6Eo

Tall Trees · « **Reply #3 on:** Feb 12, 17, 08:32:13 PM »

The situation has been deteriorating rapidly since the concrete spillway was damaged. Is this a man made disaster like the failure of the St. Francis Dam in San Francisquito Canyon in 1926 or is it a act of nature? Perhaps both are contributing factors.

Elk · « **Reply #4 on:** Feb 12, 17, 09:06:24 PM »

Live news conference at 9pm about to start... all CA DWR news conferences broadcast on their twitter feed.

https://twitter.com/CA_DWR

Elk · « **Reply #5 on:** Feb 12, 17, 09:11:24 PM »

Quote from: Elk on Feb 12, 17, 09:06:24 PM

Live news conference at 9pm about to start... all CA DWR news conferences broadcast on their twitter feed.

https://twitter.com/CA_DWR

Press conference pushed back until 10pm 2/12/2017.

Wrightwood · « **Reply #6 on:** Feb 12, 17, 09:43:15 PM »

If you have the band width: YouTube live

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yF3j82YEsTo&t=4741s

Joe Schmoe · « **Reply #7 on:** Feb 12, 17, 10:16:53 PM »

Not that I'm a hydrologist or an engineer, but if you use Google Earth's timeline feature to look at older pictures of the spillway the amount of cracks in it are pretty shocking. The entire spillway looks like that. If you have google earth, go back to the date shown in the upper left-hand corner if you want to explore it for yourself. Full disclosure, I think there is a thin sheet of water pouring down the spillway when the satellite took this picture, so that may be exaggerating the cracks. Even if that is true, it's still a LOT of cracking if my mostly ignorant opinion.

TimG · « **Reply #8 on:** Feb 12, 17, 10:30:54 PM »

Pretty sure those are ripples in the water, Joe Schmoe, not cracks.

Was just watching some updates. Looks like it's going to be fine until Wednesday when more rain comes at least.

Wrightwood · « **Reply #9 on:** Feb 12, 17, 11:22:24 PM »

Joe Schmoe · « **Reply #10 on:** Feb 12, 17, 11:44:38 PM »

Quote from: TimG on Feb 12, 17, 10:30:54 PM

Pretty sure those are ripples in the water, Joe Schmoe, not cracks.

I also thought that might be the case, but I'm pretty sure they aren't. Here is a very-enhanced photo during time when no water was being let out. There are cracks that are similar in shape to the ones in my first photo. There are also cracks in the first photo that are vertical versus horizontal. I'm pretty sure water doesn't cascade that way.

RennMan · « **Reply #11 on:** Feb 13, 17, 08:08:52 AM »

Reporting from the Sacramento area!

The Auxiliary/Emergency spillway at Oroville Dam has not failed as of this writing. The water level in Lake Oroville continues to drop via the main (damaged) spillway, in anticipation of the storms starting Wednesday evening.

Local news sources have been all over this issue, all morning long. They are reporting 180,000+ people evacuating. Hotels as far south as Sacramento are fully occupied (Blue Cut fire anyone?).

Another news source is the local NPR radio station, Capital Public Radio.

http://www.capradio.org/

delta · « **Reply #12 on:** Feb 13, 17, 08:36:15 AM »

Thanks for the links, RennMan. This is an amazing situation.
I'm watching a live stream of coverage from a Sacramento TV station at:
http://www.kcra.com/nowcast

Jim Wilkins · « **Reply #13 on:** Feb 13, 17, 09:11:23 AM »

Betting that there will be those who don't feel the evacuation is the real deal and will stay behind. One of the reasons they are pre-positioning so many swift water rescue teams on site. Hoping they are not needed but a prudent call from CAL OES

RennMan · « **Reply #14 on:** Feb 13, 17, 01:30:02 PM »

CalOES (California Department of Emergency Services) YouTube channel.

At least a few of these videos were shot this past week via drone. You can get a good idea of the current conditions in the Sacramento area.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0EkYTPgDeqXa1V-RSa-7FA

Actually, the power of water is pretty impressive.

thehallmarks · « **Reply #15 on:** Feb 14, 17, 01:54:05 AM »

be8dad · « **Reply #16 on:** Feb 14, 17, 07:00:13 AM »

From the weather channel this morning for Oroville ...
THUR FEB 16 - Rain   100%
FRI FEB 17 - Rain 100%
SAT FEB 18 - Showers   50%
SUN FEB 19 - Showers   50%
MON FEB 20 - Rain   70%
TUE FEB 21 - Showers   60%
WED FEB 22 - Showers   60%
Time to send the Amer Red Cross another donation &
Were praying for you guys ...

SoCalGal · « **Reply #17 on:** Feb 14, 17, 10:22:23 AM »

I am a little surprised that an emergency spillway so very close to houses and people was only a dirt embankment, not even lightly paved, or coated with riprap or something. I realize that with the dry summers, the officials probably never really expected the rain levels we're seeing this winter, but someone may have dropped the ball as far as expected levels that they might need to deal with. Has there been any mention of whether this is maybe a '100-year event' or something like it?

Praying that the residents can and do evacuate, hopefully with their animals.

Wrightwood · « **Reply #18 on:** Feb 14, 17, 01:26:27 PM »

Pending press conference live feed:
http://fox40.com/on-air/live-streaming/

Elk · « **Reply #19 on:** Feb 14, 17, 02:08:00 PM »

Author Topic: Auxilliary spillway failure at the Oroville Dam (Read 58123 times)

SoCalGal