Updated: Structural Concerns, Intense Vibrations, Leak at Oroville Dam: Could Lead to Catastrophic Dam Failure.
AGENDA 21 RADIO
BY PAUL PRESTON
Published on: Apr 25, 2017
Updated April 26, 2017 11:00 pm, PST
Updated April 30, 2017 9:00 pm, PST
Updated May 4, 2017 5:00 pm, PST
Governor Jerry Brown is attempting to stop all technical information regarding the dam’s structural integrity and snow pack evaporation rates from being released to the public.
PAUL PRESTON and one of the nation’s leading dam experts SCOTT CAHILL visited Oroville Dam on April 23, 2017. The visit revealed a major leak in the dam wall above the Hyatt Power Plant. The green area in the dam wall is very wet and is porting water from behind the dam.
Sources close to Agenda 21 Radio went to the area on the dam and after an examination of the leak and the embankment material including vegetation speciation reported the leak is a major concern the Department of Water Resources is NOT reporting to the public.
When the main spillway on February 7, 2017 ruptured it set off a series of events where systems at the dam were put into what is referred to as ‘failure modes’. Dam failure modes if not stopped individually lead to a series of events in other ‘systems’ of the dam that will ultimately lead to the entire dam going being destroyed. There are now 4 major systems in failure modes and with these ongoing failure modes, the main spillway, emergency spillway, River Valve Outlet System (RVOS) and the loss of the Hyatt power plant could lead to catastrophic dam failure. Now there are questions about the structural integrity of the dam itself with a noticeable ‘leak’ in the groin area on the south face above the Hyatt power plant. This brings the total number of failing systems at Oroville Dam to five.
Leak Above Left Groin Area
Agenda 21 Radio has been contacted by individuals who are familiar with the Oroville dam incident and have stated that there are ‘major’ structural concerns which call into question the structural integrity of the dam itself. According to these sources who are from Northern California state there are a number of DWR employees and others who are aware of the issues and are willing to speak out because Governor Jerry Brown is attempting to stop all technical information regarding the dam’s structural integrity and snow pack evaporation rates from being released to the public. If snow pack evaporation rates are estimated incorrectly the amount of anticipated water coming into Oroville could pose a threat to the dam.
Agenda 21 Radio has been contacted by several residents who live above the Kelly Ridge residential area that overlooks the Oroville dam above the south end of the dam about intense vibrations shaking their homes. The location of these homes is above the penstocks which feed the Hyatt Power Plant. Residents are complaining of migraine head aches and nausea. Residents have contacted contractors at the dam who have told them they cannot talk about the vibrations.
FROM YOU TUBE COMMENTS
Pictures from June 23, 2005 show that while the reservoir is full there is no ‘seepage’ on the left groin area above the Hyatt power plant. DWR’s explanation of the green area above the Hyatt power plant which they have not been reported to the public is they are “monitoring it”.
Recent photos of the dam provided by DWR show a progression of vegetation growth over the last several months.
Picture taken February 15, 2017. Photo Credit California Department of Water Resources
April 9, 2017 Oroville Dam Left Groin Area Above Hyatt Power Plant. Photo Paul Preston, AENN
April 23, 2017 Oroville Dam Left Groin Area Above Hyatt Power Plant. Photo Paul Preston, AENN
April 23, 2017 Oroville Dam Left Groin Area Above Hyatt Power Plant. Photo Paul Preston, AENN
Cahill points out there are 4 ways for water to be released at the dam. The main spillway, emergency spillway, Hyatt power plant and the dam’s drain. Scott explains the danger that exist with each one of these parts of the dam’s water drainage systems:
Main Drain: River Valve Outlet System (RVOS) Not functional.
Scott Cahill states this drain which is required by law to be present and functional on a dam has never worked properly and is in complete failure mode.
To be sure in an article in newsdeeply.com, Water Deeply: Key Oroville Drain Plugged as Heavy Storms Pounded the Reservoir, After a long history of problems, two river outlet valves deep inside Oroville Dam were not operating at a critical time this winter, eliminating one option to help manage severe storm runoff.
From the article:
“CALIFORNIA WATER OFFICIALS had another tool at their disposal to help empty Lake Oroville before damages to the spillway led to massive evacuations downstream. But it was out of commission despite years of repair work.
That tool is the river outlets in Oroville Dam: two massive pipes that draw water from deep in the reservoir, through the dam and directly into the Feather River.
The river outlets have been intermittently functional ever since an accident inside the dam on July 22, 2009. Five workers were injured that day when they were ordered to operate the river outlets in a manner that ignored prior warnings by engineering experts.”
River Valve Outlet System (RVOS)
“The outlets date to the earliest days of Oroville Dam’s construction in the mid-1960s. Their first purpose was to divert the Feather River itself around the dam construction site. The dam was built on top of the outlets, which then became an important low-level drain once the dam was finished.
One of the pipes was plugged with concrete when the dam was completed. The other holds two smaller pipes, each 6 feet in diameter, that are controlled by valves.”
Oroville Dam River Outlet Diversion Tunnel No. 2
Hyatt Power Plant Failed by Back Flow.
When the main spillway failed water was trapped by the spillway debris in the Feather River in the pond in front of the power plant and could not drain water let alone run the electric turbines. As the pool filled there was real concern there could be a complete loss of the power plant in due to scouring.
Scouring
Is the process set up by water back flowing in a pool the which creates a Coriolis effect. The effect where water rotates in the pool and destroys the embankment. People often think of a whirl pool effect. In the picture below you can see the effect of scour from the 2010 incident from the article: Attabad – so why hasn’t it breached yet?
From TIME VARIATION OF LOCAL SCOURING AT SPILLWAYS
“A spillway is a small dam placed in an open channel commonly used in rivers for monitoring water surface elevation or measuring water discharge. It is also used to dissipate the energy of floodwaters passing over dams, as the structures required are compact and economical compared to stilling basins. At the downstream end of these structures a local scour may occur in addition to the general erosion. The falling jet causes a local scour hole which can be so deep as to undermine the foundations of the works, leading to failure of the structure. Bed protection is therefore required downstream of a spillway”.
Main Spillway Failure
When the main spillway on February 7, 2017 ruptured it set off a series of events where systems at the dam were put into what is referred to as ‘failure modes’. Dam failure modes if not stopped individually lead to a series of events in other ‘systems’ of the dam that will ultimately lead to the entire dam being destroyed.
According to Scott Cahill these gates in the main spillway complex are the most vulnerable to failure in the entire Oroville Dam system. If these gates fail to perform due to damage then the risk of a complete dam failure would be assured.
The spillway is damaged with water porting under the concrete in front of the gates which goes under the spillway deck thus causing piping to occur. Combined with cavitation of water on top of the deck there is a crushing effect on the concrete deck.
Cahill says that the use of explosives by the DWR to clear soil near the spillway is dangerous to the gates themselves and could cause them to be misaligned and rendered useless setting up a ‘runaway’ dam situation which would lead to a complete dam failure mode.
Emergency Spillway
2017. Paul Preston stood at this location on February 11, 2017 and saw the upcoming crisis.
Intakes to NoWhere
Additional Articles to READ:
Oroville Dam: Blasting to be used around damaged spillway
Independent analysis details causes of Oroville Dam spillway failure
Sound during the interview with Scott Cahill at the spillway is low due to technical difficulties. All references to water flows are expressed in cubic feet / second (csf).
https://twitter.com/oroville_dam/status/855261342697013248
Scott Cahill Bio: https://www.agenda21radio.news/2017/03/25/scott-cahill/
https://twitter.com/oroville_dam/stat…
Scott P. Cahilldocx
no blasting …!pleez