Post: #76

Here's what the broken spillway looks like now:

Post: #77

Wow, pictures like that really remind me of the destructive power of water. And that happened within a day or two of the spillways breaking. I wonder if they'll be able to repair it enough by the time the damn reaches critical levels again; looks like a lot of work there.

I really think they'll find that during the 2013 incident, where there was a damaged spot on the spillway roughly around where it broke, that they did an inadequate job or blew off warning signs of something worse coming. There has to be a connection with that, and I think they'll find they either didn't or couldn't do a proper job the first time before it all went to shit like you can see above.

Post: #78

Some great drone footage of the dam(age)

Post: #79

Dam is still really messed up: https://www.liveleak.com/view?i=91c_1492216543

New storms are forcing them to use the damaged spillway:

Quote:Despite the large hole that remains on the main spillway, the Department of Water resources said it will be used next 10 to 14 days. They said the goal is to reduce the water level in the dam significantly.

Friday morning, Lake Oroville’s water level was at 865 feet.

By the end of this round of releases, they hope to get it to a comfortable 835, out of the maximum 901 feet. That is where it was in February, when they were forced to open up the Emergency Spillway.

http://fox40.com/2017/04/14/dwr-opens-up...s-through/

Post: #80

Dumb asses haven't fixed it yet? They had all of this time to move in heavy construction equipment.

Lots of incompetence going around here in California.

Post: #81

(04-16-2017 09:27 PM)The Beast1 Wrote:  Dumb asses haven't fixed it yet? They had all of this time to move in heavy construction equipment.

Lots of incompetence going around here in California.

It has to be Trump's fault. Surely...

Post: #82

Over/Under on the government of California actually wanting a disaster to occur?

Post: #83

The bill to repair the Oroville Dam has crossed a billion dollars after an initial estimate of $275 million. "Recent additions to crews" sounds like they mis-managed the repair and now have to bring in another crew to run second shift. If FEMA doesnt cover a large portion of the cost I don't think the state gov is able to pay this without a substantial debt issue.

Quote:SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - The cost of repairs and other improvements stemming from last year’s near-disaster at the nation’s tallest dam is $1.1 billion, a staggering total nearly $250 million over projections at the start of the year and that could go higher, California officials said Wednesday.

Recent additions to crews racing to meet a Nov. 1 deadline to fix spillways at Oroville Dam before winter rains arrive is the primary cause of the increase, the state Department of Water Resources said.

Both spillways at the dam crumbled and fell away during heavy rains in early 2017, prompting fears of a catastrophic dam collapse.

Water officials had assured the public for days leading up to the failures that the dam could handle rising waters amid persistent and heavy rains.

Then on Feb. 12, 2017 — a Sunday afternoon — officials ordered an immediate evacuation, saying the dam could collapse within an hour.

The panic of the sudden evacuation turned into frustration and anger when many of the evacuees found themselves stuck in gridlocked traffic hours after fleeing the danger zone.

Residents were allowed home a few days later after water behind the dam receded and the danger passed.

Nonetheless, state water officials were left with a massive construction project to make the dam safe.

The department initially awarded a $275 million contract to a private contractor in April 2017 to make the repairs. Five months later, the cost estimate soared to $500 million and then to $870 million in January.

Unexpected excavation projects have also added to the latest cost increase involving the dam about 160 miles (258 kilometers) northeast of San Francisco, department spokeswoman Erin Mellon said.

The water agency plans to ask the Federal Emergency Management Agency to pay for 75 percent of the repair costs after the project is finished. The rest would be borne by State Water Project customers.

FEMA could reject all or portions of reimbursement requests if it determines the crisis was caused by poor maintenance, agency spokeswoman Brandi Richard said.

That was one of several factors to blame, according to independent engineers previously hired by the state water agency.

Their lengthy report also concluded in January that state water officials were “overconfident and complacent” about the dam’s condition and gave “inadequate priority for dam safety.”

The report isn’t expected to jeopardize the water agency’s application for FEMA reimbursement, Mellon said.

The report “clearly stated that the incident couldn’t have been prevented based on what was current practices on inspections and evaluations,” she said during a conference call with reporters Wednesday.

FEMA has so far contributed $87 million to help with the cost of the $160 million response. Another $45 million is expected.

https://www.kron4.com/news/california/or...1421509694

Here's a narrated video from last month of the status.