Emergency: California’s Oroville Dam Spillway Near Failure, Evacuations Ordered

Breitbart ^ | Feb 12, 2017 | Joel B. Pollak1

[janetjanet998]

The California Department of Water Resources issued a sudden evacuation order shortly before 5 p.m. Sunday for residents near the Oroville Dam in northern California, warning that the dam’s emergency spillway would fail in the next 60 minutes.

The Oroville Dam is the highest in the nation.

[meyer]

As of the 0900 hour pacific time, the reservoir has been lowered below 840 feet. Outflows have been lowered overnight to approximately 37,800 or so with reductions in output of the Hyatt Power Plant. The spillway is still flowing at 35,000 cfs.

[EarthResearcher333]

"..my amateur guess would be the force of water scouring across the newly sprayed shotcrete."

Hi Jim 0216, During this flow period most of the water was "jumping" over the shotcrete. :-)

The best fit answer is the "drilling mud" from the numerous core holes drilled into the Upper Main Spillway - these array of coring sample "holes" that DWR prevented anyone from photographing (Drone, Gallery, Press..). To effectively "core sample", the large holes had to be drilled to a depth to where the under slab rock quality could be determined. This likely would be 10's of feet or greater. During the core drilling, a "drilling mud" is pumped into the coring bit. The viscosity of the "mud" is not as fluidic as simple water. Thus, this "mud" could flow into the known issues of void areas below the slab, into the drain rock along all of the linear drains, and into areas that the BOC described in their reports as "washing areas" or "piping channels" (voids in sheet form). If you consider the square footage of area that was core sampled, (178 ft wide by close to 1,650 feet long = 293,700 sq ft), there is a potentially very large volume area that could be intruded with this "drilling mud". Normally, the excess "drilling mud" flows back to the surface and is captured in metal catch basins. In the case of the spillway, the underslab area is its own catch basin of any escaping "drilling mud".

Because of the viscosity of the drilling mud, it would not flow very easily into the drains. In fact, the drain pipe is lifted by the bell couplings to where a "void layer" of near 2 inches in height needs to be reached before any liquid would surface through the perforation holes in the VCP pipe.

So when the extensive drilling & mudding was completed, the escape "drill mud" would be sitting under the slabs in a large potential volume. When the spillway was activated, the pressurized water under the slabs would "wash" and dilute the drilling mud while mixing with the water. This "dilution" would flow through the sidewall outlet drains into the main chute & then down to the river.

I suspect if the drilling mud was not fully Eco-friendly, this could become another controversy for DWR. It may develop into a controversy just from the fact that DWR hasn't said anything (keeping quiet).

Core Sample rig: Requires tanks & drums - "drilling mud" is injected while coring to facilitate the "cutting process" - excess material retained in a metal catch basin - "escape" drilling mud likely penetrated in void and drain areas under the Upper Spillway from the large number of core holes drilled.

[mad_as_he$$]

You think they were recirculating mud for core sample drilling? Interesting. When we core drill for gold we just use water and some drilling fluid. Mud just adds another thing to deal with in the outback. It has to be trucked in and then stored and agitated when mixed.

[Jim W N]

Doesn’t matter which government entity. It will always boil down to you and me paying for government screw-ups even though govnement never admits to screwing anything up.

[Jim W N]

Why “Oregon Gulch” I wonder. What’s Oregon got to do with it? Maybe trying to deflect a little bit.

How about “Glitch Gulch”? “Head for the Hills Gulch”? Nah.

[Jim W N]

California. Nice place to visit. Wouldn’t want to live there, at least these days.

[Jim W N]

Hey, how about installing a giant spigot? Why didn't they think of that? Fugeddaboudd all this other stuff.

[Jim W N]

An ex-CA resident, I too live in Arizona (”Arid-zone-a”). The difference is Arizona officials are made to plan ahead very carefully. Arizona revolves more around the people of the state. Unfortunately Leftist CA revolves around government, but the people have allowed it.

[EarthResearcher333]

Look at the sediment at the base of the metal catch basin in the prior drill rig photo. Whatever material they are using, the color of the material is consistent with a grey to whitish residue. Below is a photo where there is whitish grey residue on the ground, on the rig, and on the guide chute for the drill there looks to be a grey clumpy residue. This was at a core sample drill location in front of the emergency spillway.

They may be using a low viscosity mix as I've seen metal catch basins blend in color to the drill area location - especially when the top layer is the reddish soil. It turns the basin fluid to a light orange color. In any case, the voiding and the "lift" of the perforated drains under the slabs would allow a volume of this drill mix material to accumulate without entering into the underslab drains. Only under pressurized "wash" conditions, when the spillway is in operation, will this residual volume of material be flushed out. The revelation of the whitish grey residue in the emergency spillway photo infers a link to the mystery of the "milky white" coloring that entered into the Feather River.

[Jim W N]

make sure the bulk of the work will be completed in time for the next rainy season.

I don't know. At this rate, maybe this thread will break the all-time FR record for posts which I think is around 10,000. Let's see, right now we're around 3,400 posts. A LOT will be going on between now and next year at this time. Wonder where we'll be next year?

At any rate, this is a very enjoyable, informative, and compelling thread. Thanks janetjanet998 for launching and posting updates to the thread and to ER and Co. for such interesting analysis.

[Jim W N]

Actually, Mark W. Cowin was director of DWR from 2010 through 2016 when there appears to have been systemic disregard for what appears to have been alarming problems needing to be addressed. Looks like Croyle inherited this mess a few months ago at least as head of DWR.

Maybe “Cowin Canyon” would have been good.

[Jim W N]

Seems like when you go inland or south from S.F, things get less Leftist.

[Jim W N]

"standing" wave collapsing single bubble

What is a "standing wave" and what is a "single bubble"? Any pictures of this?

may lead to "fusion" technology

Isn't that what we've been waiting for to have clean and safe nuclear energy?

[Helen]

...and others I may have omitted:

I’ve been following this thread from the beginning, and I can only add a few “wows” and “oh, my”, and other words of equal non-engineering heft to the conversation. But what an education from all of you! A continuing thank you. Very much.

[mad_as_he$$]

I see the grey white residue. I suspect if they are drilling into the blue/grey rock that the fines would look like that, think roto-hammer into concrete leaves grey white fines. The tote on the right is the same type of container 250 gallons of drilling fluid come(s) in. I do not recognize the labeling - the picture is too bad. The black and white 55 gallon drums are typically used to collect waste or hazmat materials in.

The report will be interesting. In the ocean similar foam plumes form due to organic material being agitated.

[EarthResearcher333]

Hi Jim 0216, I don't want to get too far off the Oroville thread… But to answer your question: A standing wave is a stationary condition used to describe the non moving center of the expanding and collapsing single bubble. The bubble is introduced into an ultrasonically stimulated chamber such that the sound waves in the liquid in the chamber focus on the gas bubble. The collapse is so violent the energy released causes light and a thermal intensity of four times the temperature of the Sun. Since the Sun is a "fusion" reactive process, this is where scientists jumped at the excitement of the possible use of "sonoluminescence" as a key to new "fusion" based energy technology. However, the problem is that nobody has been able to come up with energy equations that explain this effect. Scientists have engaged in arguments over each other's theories - calling the others' theory "crazy". Oh what fun science can be.

[Repeal The 17th]

I agree.
This has been a very interesting thread.

[EarthResearcher333]

Heated Discussion - "Leak" in Dam - Public meeting with DWR - April 27

The DWR sponsored "information Q&A" meeting became heated when the "Leak" in the dam was brought up. Apparently, there was a professional moderator handling the Q&A with the packed hall of concerned residents. Here is a transcript of a particularly heated interchange with a resident, a male "chief DWR engineer", and the moderator.

= = = April 27 2017 DWR informational meeting interchange responding to a question from a resident speaking of the "green" wet area on the left side of the dam & asking DWR about this "Leak":

Resident: "There is a leak above the Hyatt power plant...its been there for years…grass doesn't grow unless you've got water…when the lake level goes down...you can see the grass die..because the water is not going through…you got water...you pressurize the dam to the most its been pressurized in the history of that dam…and now...with the green patches... where the grass is growing..were saying that leak..nobody wants to talk about it at your office?...I mean… there's water coming through…let the water out before it all comes out..on us."

DWR Chief Engineer: "The um, the, the dam was built..the regulators know about it….we..we inspect it...when we monitor it...it is not going through the dam…"

Resident: "Sure and you inspected and you monitored that spillway too…"..[crosstalk]

2nd resident, woman: "...they've had the same problem at another dam…and it failed.."

Moderator: "So, so I really need to… to ask people who are… who've asked to speak.. I..I just want to make sure we get your comments sir..so…"

Resident: "Well I hadn't got an answer…[inaudible]"

Moderator: "Well….I think what...what you're hearing.."

Resident: "About the leak…"

Moderator: "Well, what I understand that, what, you're hearing from the chief engineer, is, that.. it.. but it doesn't.. you..you..let's just hear that again, okay ..:"

DWR Chief Engineer: "That…that…leak…its…its a natural spring that has been documented...for decades….and we are measuring it on an annual basis…and… [crosstalk - crowd noise]

Moderator: Shhh…ok…lets…lets...let him answer the question.. okay?…

DWR Chief Engineer: "Do you have anything to add on that?"

end clip - of interchange.

My Discussion/commentary:

= = = I've never seen a "natural spring" flow uphill. The horizontal bench of the "wet area" green vegetation actually increases in elevation the further it is from the left abutment. The assumption is that a "natural spring" does not exist from "inside" of an earthen dam. IF there were to be a "spring" it would have to originate from upslope on the left abutment then would have to defy gravity and flow up in elevation". So why has DWR drilled a "test hole" near the green wet area at the left abutment in 2016 (DWR asking FERC) as DWR wants to figure out what is causing this seepage?

= = = So? How's the decades of Monitoring & measuring been going? Here are the California Division of Safety of Dams (DSOD) Inspection reports on "their monitoring" -

CA Division of Safety of Dams Inspection Report 2014 - Recommendation to implement a method to "monitor the mid-slope seepage" on the backside mid-slope of Oroville's earthen dam

CA Division of Safety of Dams Inspection Report 2015 - Stronger Recommendation to "investigate" wet area "to ensure the long term stability of the slope"

2016 FERC doc - DWR wants to relocate (from FERC request) a proposed drill hole to 670ft Left Bank near Green Wet Area to help understand the cause of the Seepage.

[janetjanet998]

here is the heated discussion about the leak
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Wud_EsqEXA

[EarthResearcher333]

Oroville Dam Leak - Topo Map & DWR's "natural spring" theory - Water must flow uphill from abutment

Using elevation markers on the clear water leakage causing green vegetation growth reveals that any proposed "natural spring" theory requires uphill water flow. DWR engineer's statement that the water is from "a natural spring" cannot explain how the water climbs in elevation along the backside of the dam. The topography map places more difficulty in this theory as the 700 ft elevation level "retracts" from the leaking area (further into the dam to the core). Therefore, any "natural spring" would be flowing DOWN the original canyon rock abutment as the Zone 3 Shell, where the leakage is flowing through, is designed to be non-pervious (which means water percolates downward through - as it is designed). Since there is NO topography higher and to the left of the greening wet area ANY clear water would have to FLOW UPWARD to get to the greening elevation.

The only DOWNWARD flow of water to the greening wet area must be from the reservoir (i.e. "through the dam" seepage). The reservoir has been at record levels for a prolonged period. So too has the greening been at its greatest. The horizontal "greening" has a strong inference to a horizontal seam source or sources to this clear water flow. DWR absolutely must respond in identifying the risk to this situation. The public should know that DWR does not know the source to this water flow as they asked FERC to relocate a test drill well near the embankment to figure this out - in 2016. DWR has no standing in saying that this is a "natural spring". In fact, the dam leakage could give water readings in the abutment's highly fractured rock as if there were a "spring" - but from DOWNWARD flow from the core.

At the DWR town hall Q&A, the DWR engineer denied that the water flow was through the dam ("it is not going through the dam"). The evidence infers otherwise.

DWR engineer - at DWR town hall Apr 27 2017 Q&A stated "a natural spring" was water source - elevation data proves this to be incorrect - water must flow upwards

Dam topography map of the inner canyon wall abutment re-inforces the error of stating "a natural spring" - elevation & location of the topography reveals water must flow upwards. Best fit is seepage "through the dam". DWR engineer denied "seepage through the dam".