live coverage of Oroville Dam

[madokie]

http://gizmodo.com/california-town-given-one-hour-to-evacuate-before-dam-s-1792281839

[Warpy]

1. The foul mouthed knitters are on this one

Here's a picture of the spillway damage last Friday:



Play a game of "find the people" to get an idea of scale. One is next to the spillway, one on the spillway, and one is down in the hole. Apparently this hole keeps reappearing, they've had to fix it twice before. Video shot this afternoon gives an idea of scale if you watch the water flooding down and see the uprooted trees in it:

More rain is due in the area starting Wednesday and is expected to last several days. This is far from over.

Then next summer, people are going to have to figure out what to drink once this reservoir lets go.

[regnaD kciN]

2. Um...

Then next summer, people are going to have to figure out what to drink once this reservoir lets go.

The reservoir is not going to "let go." The worst-case scenario is that a break at the top of the emergency spillway could release as much as the top 30' of water if that section of the spillway failed completely. Now, that's going to cause one hell of a flood, but the main dam wall, which is around 800' tall, is solid concrete and built on bedrock. It is in no danger of failing, no matter what the erosion at either of the spillways.

Come summer, the lake will still be there, and there will be plenty of drinking water available, even if the worst happens in this scenario.

[Warpy]

5. Um...

Water always wins.

Those spillways should have been redone at the first sign of damage years ago. Governor Gropereggar didn't think it was important enough to spend money on.

[panader0]

6. Not so sure about that 'solid concrete" claim.

From wiki:
Oroville Dam is an earthfill embankment dam on the Feather River east of the city of Oroville, California, in the United States

[nocalflea]

3. Sac.county

Prayers to my Nocal neighbors .

[malaise]

4. Thanks madokie