bigjohnsd
2021 BMW R1250GSA
MONDAY 10:00 A.M. PRESS BRIEFING FOR OROVILLE DAM -- HOW THIS WEEK WILL PROGRESS IN DEBRIS REMOVAL --
DWR Executive Director Bill Croyle says that by late this afternoon the flow from the damaged spillway will be completely halted so that workers can remove hundreds of tons of debris comprised of concrete, sand, vegetation and other material. He says that he hopes the project will take five days of around the clock work. Based upon their computations, it appears the dam has seven days of storage space available. He was very clear to say that should conditions change, they will be prepared to turn the spillway back on quickly.
Regarding restarting the flow, he said that the 860 foot mark on reservoir elevation is the ultimate trigger point. Currently, the lake level is at 838.
To start today...they have a helicopter flying overhead videoing the gradual reduction in spill volume, answering the question, "Do we have to maintain the 50,000 cubic foot per second or can we do something a little lower?" For example, can they run the spillway at 20,000 cfs? So, they will be monitoring the flow reduction throughout the process to see how different flow levels affect the geology. How does the water land at the bottom of the spillway? Does it hit the"plunge pool" or does it further degrade the landscape?
They will also take a detailed look at all of the geological conditions to get folks started on the long-term recovery plan -- such as replacing the spillway.
He stressed that, "Environmental resources and fish are high on our screen." He says fish rescues will possibly start as early as today and are likely tomorrow as the Feather River water levels decrease.
The snowmelt has a lot of people nervous. Croyle says the snowmelt will begin in 10 to 15 days as the sun's angle is higher in the sky. Variables will include wind, cloud cover, air temps and winds. A typical inflow from the snowmelt is 38,000 cfs.
The Hyatt Powerplant, he hopes, is up and running by Thursday or Friday of this week. They will have a better estimate of restart time by the end of today. The powerplant, when operating at full speed can pull 14,000 cfs out of the reservoir. Currently, five of the six turbines are ready to roll.
DWR Executive Director Bill Croyle says that by late this afternoon the flow from the damaged spillway will be completely halted so that workers can remove hundreds of tons of debris comprised of concrete, sand, vegetation and other material. He says that he hopes the project will take five days of around the clock work. Based upon their computations, it appears the dam has seven days of storage space available. He was very clear to say that should conditions change, they will be prepared to turn the spillway back on quickly.
Regarding restarting the flow, he said that the 860 foot mark on reservoir elevation is the ultimate trigger point. Currently, the lake level is at 838.
To start today...they have a helicopter flying overhead videoing the gradual reduction in spill volume, answering the question, "Do we have to maintain the 50,000 cubic foot per second or can we do something a little lower?" For example, can they run the spillway at 20,000 cfs? So, they will be monitoring the flow reduction throughout the process to see how different flow levels affect the geology. How does the water land at the bottom of the spillway? Does it hit the"plunge pool" or does it further degrade the landscape?
They will also take a detailed look at all of the geological conditions to get folks started on the long-term recovery plan -- such as replacing the spillway.
He stressed that, "Environmental resources and fish are high on our screen." He says fish rescues will possibly start as early as today and are likely tomorrow as the Feather River water levels decrease.
The snowmelt has a lot of people nervous. Croyle says the snowmelt will begin in 10 to 15 days as the sun's angle is higher in the sky. Variables will include wind, cloud cover, air temps and winds. A typical inflow from the snowmelt is 38,000 cfs.
The Hyatt Powerplant, he hopes, is up and running by Thursday or Friday of this week. They will have a better estimate of restart time by the end of today. The powerplant, when operating at full speed can pull 14,000 cfs out of the reservoir. Currently, five of the six turbines are ready to roll.
