CA - Uncharted territory as Lake Oroville rises toward damaged dam
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CARIIS
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At 3:00 minute mark it explains what is happening with the spillway
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZY2w1MdZNeM#t=181.621201
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZY2w1MdZNeM#t=181.621201
CARIIS
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[h=1]Although the California Department of Water Resources is claiming Oroville Dam is safer because the water level has fallen by 52 feet, that feat was largely accomplished by over-filing 9 upstream reservoirs
The Watershed at a Glance[/h]The Upper Feather River Watershed includes all waters tributary to the Feather River from the headwaters in the Sierra Nevada crest downstream to Lake Oroville. The Upper Feather is a major source of the states water needs and provides virtually all the water delivered by the California State Water Project. Most of the watershed lies in Plumas County and is roughly 65% publicly owned, primarily by the USFS. The western portion of the watershed is distinctly different from the east. The eastside is characterized by streams flowing through broad alluvial valleys with sagebrush and timber in the higher elevations. Privately owned ranch lands support irrigated pasture and livestock production. Sierra Valley, near the headwaters of the Middle Fork, is the largest alpine meadow in the United States. The westside has higher precipitation and steeper terrain, and is characterized by conifer forest with numerous lakes and streams. The Upper Feather Watershed supports extensive outdoor recreation (e.g., hunting, fishing, camping, hiking, skiing) along with timber production, livestock grazing, and rural residential housing.
[h=2]Watershed Statistics[/h]Watershed Size: 3,200 square miles
Watershed Length: ~60 miles (Sierra Crest to Oroville)
Average Annual Precipitation: 12 inches (eastside) to 70 inches (westside)
Elevation:
Management Issues: river restoration (floodplain function, habitat, erosion control), Water quality (temperature and sediment), Hydrology (lower peak floodflow, higher base flow), Roads and historic (hydraulic) mines, Forest health (sustained timber production and fire management), Rural residential development
Counties: Plumas, Butte, Sierra, Lassen
http://www.sacriver.org/aboutwatershed/roadmap/watersheds/feather/upper-feather-river-watershed
http://www.*********.com/california/2017/02/21/oroville-lake-52-feet-9-upstream-reservoirs-flood/
The Watershed at a Glance[/h]The Upper Feather River Watershed includes all waters tributary to the Feather River from the headwaters in the Sierra Nevada crest downstream to Lake Oroville. The Upper Feather is a major source of the states water needs and provides virtually all the water delivered by the California State Water Project. Most of the watershed lies in Plumas County and is roughly 65% publicly owned, primarily by the USFS. The western portion of the watershed is distinctly different from the east. The eastside is characterized by streams flowing through broad alluvial valleys with sagebrush and timber in the higher elevations. Privately owned ranch lands support irrigated pasture and livestock production. Sierra Valley, near the headwaters of the Middle Fork, is the largest alpine meadow in the United States. The westside has higher precipitation and steeper terrain, and is characterized by conifer forest with numerous lakes and streams. The Upper Feather Watershed supports extensive outdoor recreation (e.g., hunting, fishing, camping, hiking, skiing) along with timber production, livestock grazing, and rural residential housing.
[h=2]Watershed Statistics[/h]Watershed Size: 3,200 square miles
Watershed Length: ~60 miles (Sierra Crest to Oroville)
Average Annual Precipitation: 12 inches (eastside) to 70 inches (westside)
Elevation:
- Highest: 10,000 ft.
- Lowest: 2,000 ft.
Management Issues: river restoration (floodplain function, habitat, erosion control), Water quality (temperature and sediment), Hydrology (lower peak floodflow, higher base flow), Roads and historic (hydraulic) mines, Forest health (sustained timber production and fire management), Rural residential development
Counties: Plumas, Butte, Sierra, Lassen
http://www.sacriver.org/aboutwatershed/roadmap/watersheds/feather/upper-feather-river-watershed
http://www.*********.com/california/2017/02/21/oroville-lake-52-feet-9-upstream-reservoirs-flood/
CARIIS
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DWR to Shut Off Flows From Oroville Spillway
http://fox40.com/2017/02/26/dwr-to-shut-off-flows-from-oroville-spillway/
It looked awful earlier today - first time I have seen it in a while -- talk torn up
There is basically nothing coming out of the bottom of it
Yeh there measurements about the hole in the beginning were a crock
watch how long in the first 20 seconds of this it takes for the water to continue onwards
unreal
http://www.sacbee.com/news/state/california/water-and-drought/article134872389.html
http://fox40.com/2017/02/26/dwr-to-shut-off-flows-from-oroville-spillway/
It looked awful earlier today - first time I have seen it in a while -- talk torn up
There is basically nothing coming out of the bottom of it
Yeh there measurements about the hole in the beginning were a crock
watch how long in the first 20 seconds of this it takes for the water to continue onwards
unreal
http://www.sacbee.com/news/state/california/water-and-drought/article134872389.html
Deltucky
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http://www.sacbee.com/news/state/california/water-and-drought/article134906004.html
46 second timelapse video of the spillway damage progression.
46 second timelapse video of the spillway damage progression.
CARIIS
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As I have gone through this and learned a little, if the whole thing does not come crashing down with the wrecked spillway, the snowmelt, IMO, is truly a real dangeroues sitution.
When the temp gets above 32 it starts to melt. Makes sense to me ha!
Have learned however, stuff that seems logical, is like real.
Direct sunlight, angle of sun, wind speeds, how compact the melt it is, how cold he has been in previous weeks,dirt in the snow , angles, all determine how each section does.
And this ain't good at all.That entire region is in for a warming up starting now. 10 days of it.
Its like a spider web with pockets! So much of the stuff is already loaded with water throughout the whole thing (tributaries etc) .
Water goes down- ha! I did not know (linked earlier) that what they did 10 days ago was let 9 reservoirs above Orville fill to the brim to reduce inflow into the Lake Orville.
There are limits to that luxury. In past snowmelt "seasons" that was not the case. Just seems to me if bathtubs are much fuller at the onset there are going to be more problems .
Throughout this mess, it has been clearly stated that this is the most snow on the mountains in the history of mankind.
Common sense would indicate that the abovementioned would be problems enough if three monsoons had not passed through in the last couple of months.
Now , in conjunction with :
-the wild fires taken out things that (roots etc) absorb water
-all the "junk" in the whole system has been cleared out by raging rivers over the last two months ( I would think it logical that water would flow downhill faster with no obstacles).
- This dam is the first one in the chain as it relates to the upper rivers . I tried to copy and paste it but it won't do it) . The area we are talking about above this dam is like the size of Texas. The first big reservoir in that chain is this one.
That region (more northern) is logically colder - so the snow on those mountains are deeper than the mountains more to the south.
Throw in a wrecked dam at the top and it does sound pretty. If you will notice any time the power plant that was shut down there, has been mentioned, in terms of restarting, has never had anything to do with getting it back on line for electric production.
Every mention of trying to get it up and running has been focused on them wanting the 14,000 an hour outflow option it gives them . Not once have they mentioned electricity. I think that is quietly significant, moo.
I think (Moo) that was the sole reason for the unreal abilty of them to get an army of machinery up there in 24 hours to shore up the emergency one. That was quite a feat - especially for govt. I think it shows the gravity of the impending onset of snowmelt. jmo
Local media has not helped imo. Everyone on air smiling cause it is clearing up and warmer is actually horrible for this mess. Non-stop sunlight, and higher temps than normal at this time of year .
I am still having difficulty translating, in my mind, the snow on the mountains models - in terms of trying to "watch" what is happening.
The elevation stuff makes logical sense (higher up = colder) but as a native floridian I have nothing to comprehend what the stuff means in terms of real time like oh this is melting so much faster than last year - if that makes sense.
Kinda like a cat 1 hurricane vs a cat 4 there is a frame of reference visually .
I have been fascinated at how sophisticated this system is. That being said, these ladies and gentlemen that are genius with this stuff know the
implaications.
Even after (all the other spillways that they opened over time) those bodies of water descended they have kept them humming. Despite all the flooding that has already occurred.
IMO very ominous
When the temp gets above 32 it starts to melt. Makes sense to me ha!
Have learned however, stuff that seems logical, is like real.
Direct sunlight, angle of sun, wind speeds, how compact the melt it is, how cold he has been in previous weeks,dirt in the snow , angles, all determine how each section does.
And this ain't good at all.That entire region is in for a warming up starting now. 10 days of it.
Its like a spider web with pockets! So much of the stuff is already loaded with water throughout the whole thing (tributaries etc) .
Water goes down- ha! I did not know (linked earlier) that what they did 10 days ago was let 9 reservoirs above Orville fill to the brim to reduce inflow into the Lake Orville.
There are limits to that luxury. In past snowmelt "seasons" that was not the case. Just seems to me if bathtubs are much fuller at the onset there are going to be more problems .
Throughout this mess, it has been clearly stated that this is the most snow on the mountains in the history of mankind.
Common sense would indicate that the abovementioned would be problems enough if three monsoons had not passed through in the last couple of months.
Now , in conjunction with :
-the wild fires taken out things that (roots etc) absorb water
-all the "junk" in the whole system has been cleared out by raging rivers over the last two months ( I would think it logical that water would flow downhill faster with no obstacles).
- This dam is the first one in the chain as it relates to the upper rivers . I tried to copy and paste it but it won't do it) . The area we are talking about above this dam is like the size of Texas. The first big reservoir in that chain is this one.
That region (more northern) is logically colder - so the snow on those mountains are deeper than the mountains more to the south.
Throw in a wrecked dam at the top and it does sound pretty. If you will notice any time the power plant that was shut down there, has been mentioned, in terms of restarting, has never had anything to do with getting it back on line for electric production.
Every mention of trying to get it up and running has been focused on them wanting the 14,000 an hour outflow option it gives them . Not once have they mentioned electricity. I think that is quietly significant, moo.
I think (Moo) that was the sole reason for the unreal abilty of them to get an army of machinery up there in 24 hours to shore up the emergency one. That was quite a feat - especially for govt. I think it shows the gravity of the impending onset of snowmelt. jmo
Local media has not helped imo. Everyone on air smiling cause it is clearing up and warmer is actually horrible for this mess. Non-stop sunlight, and higher temps than normal at this time of year .
I am still having difficulty translating, in my mind, the snow on the mountains models - in terms of trying to "watch" what is happening.
The elevation stuff makes logical sense (higher up = colder) but as a native floridian I have nothing to comprehend what the stuff means in terms of real time like oh this is melting so much faster than last year - if that makes sense.
Kinda like a cat 1 hurricane vs a cat 4 there is a frame of reference visually .
I have been fascinated at how sophisticated this system is. That being said, these ladies and gentlemen that are genius with this stuff know the
implaications.
Even after (all the other spillways that they opened over time) those bodies of water descended they have kept them humming. Despite all the flooding that has already occurred.
IMO very ominous
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Good to hear this. If they can dig out the underdrains, they may be able to handle snowmelt without using primary and or emergency spillways. Short-term solution, but best first immediate option given the limited window of opportunity.
CARIIS
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Utterly incredible - the thing is a total loss --
were at zero outflow
There is a majesty to the power and a fear as well..................
http://www.kcra.com/article/aerial-tour-shows-extensive-damage-of-lake-oroville-spillway/8988741
Don Pedro is not doing well at all in terms of height of water but out is beating in !! 99% here
Orville is at 76% 20,000 in
were at zero outflow
There is a majesty to the power and a fear as well..................
http://www.kcra.com/article/aerial-tour-shows-extensive-damage-of-lake-oroville-spillway/8988741
Don Pedro is not doing well at all in terms of height of water but out is beating in !! 99% here
Orville is at 76% 20,000 in
CARIIS
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[FONT=&] workers can remove between 500,000 and 1 million cubic yards -- means nothing to me! So I translated it:
[/FONT]201,974,026 gallons or..
cover five football fields, complete with end zones, to a depth of 100 feet.
[FONT=&]Monday's slowdown started at 6:45 a.m., going from 50,000 cubic feet per second to zero. The water was shut off by 2 p.m.
Its at 838 feet
[/FONT][FONT=&]Removing the debris will bring officials one step closer to restarting the Hyatt Power Plant, which in turn will help remove water from the dam to make way for more water in advance of the spring runoff, Butte County Sheriff Kenneth Honea said Monday.
[/FONT][FONT=&]inflow into Oroville Dam this month was 570 percent of the average
[/FONT]http://www.gillettenewsrecord.com/ap/national/article_8f3c8a5d-18cd-5af8-9863-1b68b2777147.html[FONT=&]
[/FONT]
[/FONT]201,974,026 gallons or..
cover five football fields, complete with end zones, to a depth of 100 feet.
[FONT=&]Monday's slowdown started at 6:45 a.m., going from 50,000 cubic feet per second to zero. The water was shut off by 2 p.m.
Its at 838 feet
[/FONT][FONT=&]Removing the debris will bring officials one step closer to restarting the Hyatt Power Plant, which in turn will help remove water from the dam to make way for more water in advance of the spring runoff, Butte County Sheriff Kenneth Honea said Monday.
[/FONT][FONT=&]inflow into Oroville Dam this month was 570 percent of the average
[/FONT]http://www.gillettenewsrecord.com/ap/national/article_8f3c8a5d-18cd-5af8-9863-1b68b2777147.html[FONT=&]
[/FONT]
CARIIS
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images of the structure are sobering.
70 to 80 feet deep--150 wide and 1,500 feet long
laser mapping technology will be used to assess just how much debris now obstructs the channel.
Water level in front of the power plant is 20 feet
flow rates into the lake peaking at about 190,000 cfs, releases down the damaged spillway were limited to a maximum of 55,000 cfs. The result: The lake rose nearly 50 feet in just four days .
https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2017/02/07/engineers-assess-spillway-problem-at-oroville-dam/
70 to 80 feet deep--150 wide and 1,500 feet long
laser mapping technology will be used to assess just how much debris now obstructs the channel.
Water level in front of the power plant is 20 feet
flow rates into the lake peaking at about 190,000 cfs, releases down the damaged spillway were limited to a maximum of 55,000 cfs. The result: The lake rose nearly 50 feet in just four days .
https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2017/02/07/engineers-assess-spillway-problem-at-oroville-dam/
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http://www.sacbee.com/news/weather/article133818604.html
Antelope is one of nine reservoirs that provide water to Lake Oroville. Three are managed by DWR; one is operated by the South Feather Water and Power Agency. The other five are owned and operated by Pacific Gas & Electric Co., producing electricity as part of the Feather River Stairway of Power.
The largest of these is Lake Almanor near Chester. It stores 1,142,000 acre feet, around one-third of the storage capacity of Lake Oroville.
During the recent storms, PG&E operators have worked to keep the popular recreation lake below the 4,494-foot elevation maximum, releasing water through a small outlet at the base of the dam as well as a tunnel to Butt Valley Reservoir, 10 miles south of Almanor.
Antelope is one of nine reservoirs that provide water to Lake Oroville. Three are managed by DWR; one is operated by the South Feather Water and Power Agency. The other five are owned and operated by Pacific Gas & Electric Co., producing electricity as part of the Feather River Stairway of Power.
The largest of these is Lake Almanor near Chester. It stores 1,142,000 acre feet, around one-third of the storage capacity of Lake Oroville.
During the recent storms, PG&E operators have worked to keep the popular recreation lake below the 4,494-foot elevation maximum, releasing water through a small outlet at the base of the dam as well as a tunnel to Butt Valley Reservoir, 10 miles south of Almanor.
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Wow, I am just now catching up on all of the videos and flyovers and damage assessments - on a real screen. Oroville damage to the spillways and the downstream channel is unbelievable!
CARIIS
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It truly is my dear! Much worse than I anticipated. I do wonder if they were blown away.
I almost wonder if it would not be better to like whatever dynamite a little and just make it an easy flow? Sounds stupid, but something to make it to where they just facilitate water escaping!!
I am grateful for you and Sophie, I feel like I am the only person on the planet that thinks this is gonna end up so badly.
I have dreams. Knowledge helps - like trying to be able to determine if this is getting really bad.
I am impulsive - its been crazy the levels go all over the place .
You guys have no idea what it has been like to have one window open with SeanD , who is 9 feet away, and in another window local news on.
Schizophrenia- that simple. I am, watching, seeing hearing what is supposed to be a river - it looks like an ocean in a hurricane and local news in the background is doing nothing in the market. Insane stuff you guys.
He traveled all over the place and streams. Same thing one window open local news (when San Jose started) it is like schizophrenia I mean it - it is truly weird.
That is ****#ed up - adds to the mess . It has been unreal.
AlwaysShocked
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For CARIIS, a 60 minutes video from 2014 on groundwater, including California and how much water has been pumped out and problems from it. Water, the new oil.
[video=youtube;88WbBcjSVOA]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88WbBcjSVOA[/video]
[video=youtube;88WbBcjSVOA]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88WbBcjSVOA[/video]
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Thanks SophieRose! Will check out the video when I get a chance.
Great comment.
Oil is a commodity and priced accordingly. Water, most consider an entitlement. Is it?
Great comment.
Oil is a commodity and priced accordingly. Water, most consider an entitlement. Is it?
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After seeing all the spillway damage, I am amazed that Oroville operations managed to convey all that water without sustaining more damage, the dam itself did not fail, and more lives were not lost.
#miracle
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CARIIS
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Thanx- that was cool- I vote they are a dash higher now - ha!!!
Interesting facts
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/d...of-damage-to-oroville-dam-spillway/ar-AAnErHT
