{"id":66055,"date":"2017-02-14T20:46:55","date_gmt":"2017-02-15T00:46:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/?p=66055"},"modified":"2017-02-14T20:54:07","modified_gmt":"2017-02-15T00:54:07","slug":"crews-work-to-backfill-erosion-on-oroville-spillway","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/?p=66055","title":{"rendered":"Crews work to backfill erosion on Oroville spillway"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<div id=\"module-position-PulGu5X5MnA\" class=\"story-asset story-metadata-asset\">\n<div class=\"article-metadata-wrap\">\n<section id=\"module-position-PulGulCxWlk\" class=\"storymetadata-bucket expandable-photo-module story-expandable-photo-module\">\n<aside class=\"single-photo expandable-collapsed\">\n<h5 class=\"image-wrap\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"expand-img-horiz\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/-mm-\/1926c3aa03c3ba444e3c71117c4c4f8dc5431cad\/c=119-0-1892-1333&amp;r=x404&amp;c=534x401\/local\/-\/media\/2017\/02\/14\/USATODAY\/USATODAY\/636226726485454837-oroville-spillway-021417.jpg\" alt=\"oroville-spillway-021417\" data-mycapture-src=\"http:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/media\/2017\/02\/14\/USATODAY\/USATODAY\/636226726485454837-oroville-spillway-021417.jpg\" data-mycapture-sm-src=\"http:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/-mm-\/4044b1e7645488621f157de466cf1a990870caa2\/r=500x333\/local\/-\/media\/2017\/02\/14\/USATODAY\/USATODAY\/636226726485454837-oroville-spillway-021417.jpg\" \/><br \/>\n<span class=\"js-caption-wrapper\"><span class=\"credit\">(Photo: Greg Barnette, Record (Calif.) Record Searchlight)<\/span><\/span><\/h5>\n<\/aside>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>_<br \/>\nOROVILLE, Calif. \u2014 California water officials continue to work around the clock to <a href=\"http:\/\/reddingne.ws\/2lg0oN7\">repair the emergency spillway at the Oroville Dam<\/a> as they brace for more rain later this week.<\/p>\n<p>Chris Orrock, a spokesman for the California Department of Water Resources, said water is not going over the emergency spillway and erosion has stopped. Lake Oroville is at 889 feet and the goal is to drop the level to around 850 feet. Lake levels reached 902 feet when water started cascading over the emergency spillway Sunday.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThrough our calculations, it looks like that will get us through the next storm,\u201d Orrock said Tuesday morning of the 850-foot goal.<\/p>\n<p>A pair of storms are expected to hit California this week, and forecasters say they will be strong enough to bring 2 to 6 inches of rains to Oroville.<\/p>\n<p>Officials continue to release 100,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) down the main spillway while 20,000 to 40,000 cfs is coming into the lake. \u201cSo we are taking out a lot more water than is coming in,\u201d Orrock said.<\/p>\n<p>Helicopters dropped boulders into the holes and gouges which appeared as a result of the erosion of the emergency spillway.<\/p>\n<div id=\"module-position-PulGu5WbFn8\" class=\"story-asset oembed-asset\">\n<div class=\"story-oembed-wrap \">\n<div class=\"js-oembed story-oembed story-oembed-usa-today story-oembed-type-link\" data-oembed-type=\"link\" data-oembed-provider=\"usa-today\">\n<div class=\"oembed-asset oembed-asset-link oembed-asset-usa-today oembed-simple-link-container\">\n<p class=\"oembed-link-desc\">New storms could imperil Oroville where 200,000 were evacuated<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cWe are backfilling those holes with gravel, then putting a slurry mixture to harden those parts, so when the rain comes, it will roll down instead of furthering eroding those holes,\u201d Orrock said.<\/p>\n<p>Evacuation orders are still in place and there is no word when they will be lifted.<\/p>\n<p>Orrock emphasized again that Oroville Dam has not been compromised and is not affected by the eroding emergency spillway.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur primary concern is the safety of the community,\u201d he said. \u201cWe don\u2019t want to lift\u00a0the evacuation orders and have them come back and then have another incident &#8230; and have them leave again,\u201d Orrock said.<\/p>\n<p>The nearly 200,000 evacuated residents were told Monday it could be up to two weeks before they secure the eroded section of the emergency spillway enough to let them return to their homes <a href=\"http:\/\/reddingne.ws\/2kCP4Yb\">without the threat of a catastrophic flood<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-Richvale, appealed to President Trump on Monday to declare a major emergency for the area and by evening California Gov. Jerry Brown told reporters he had held a conversation with a Trump Cabinet member he declined to name.<\/p>\n<p>The Federal Emergency Management Agency is providing 150,000 bottles of water, 20,000 blankets and 10,000 cots to support residents affected by the evacuation.<\/p>\n<p>A day after the urgent Sunday evening evacuation, officials with the state agency responsible for operating the dam remained confounded by the failure of the spillway that was supposed to be the dam\u2019s backup plan.<\/p>\n<p>As the highest dam in America, the main structure is built of 85 million cubic yards of earth and remains sound, officials say. But just more than a week ago, a hole appeared in the concrete spillway off to its side and quickly grew as the surging water blasted off chunks of loose concrete and hurled them downhill.<\/p>\n<p>With that channel damaged and storm-driven runoff\u00a0swelling the reservoir, officials insisted the emergency spillway would be prepared for service. It had never been used before, and began to erode dangerously \u2014\u00a0leading to the concerns of a failure and the order to evacuate.<\/p>\n<p>At a news conference around midday Monday, Bill Croyle, the state&#8217;s acting director of the Department of Water Resources,\u00a0admitted his agency doesn\u2019t have clear answers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m not sure anything went wrong,\u201d he said. \u201cThat system has been installed since the early 1960s. It\u2019s been monitored, but I\u2019m not sure what caused the damage itself. It\u2019s designed for higher flows. Lower flows can create more energy. We don\u2019t completely understand why this erosion occurred.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"module-position-PulGu5Xj79Q\" class=\"story-asset image-asset\">\n<aside class=\"wide single-photo\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/-mm-\/62b2f2d9da897cc772f85cc18508a640f68dd247\/c=77-0-1923-1388&amp;r=x408&amp;c=540x405\/local\/-\/media\/2017\/02\/13\/Redding\/Redding\/636225953165759460-dam4.jpg\" alt=\"California Department of Water Resources workers watch\" width=\"540\" height=\"405\" data-mycapture-src=\"\" data-mycapture-sm-src=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<h5>California Department of Water Resources workers watch water pour down the Oroville Dam spillway as authorities try to reduce the amount of water in the lake in preparation of coming storms and to be able to make repairs to the damaged spillway.\u00a0<span class=\"credit\">(Photo: Greg Barnette)<\/span><\/h5>\n<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<p>_<br \/>\nCroyle said it could be at least 15 days or longer before the agency will be able to put a plan into place to make repairs. He said a plan has been approved, but did not go into details.<\/p>\n<p>Heavy trucks were moving rocks into a staging area near the dam throughout Monday\u00a0morning, and by late afternoon helicopters were carrying bags of rocks toward the eroded section of the emergency spillway.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Screen-Shot-2017-02-14-at-7.53.25-PM.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-66059\" src=\"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Screen-Shot-2017-02-14-at-7.53.25-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"546\" height=\"643\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Screen-Shot-2017-02-14-at-7.53.25-PM.png 546w, https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Screen-Shot-2017-02-14-at-7.53.25-PM-255x300.png 255w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 546px) 100vw, 546px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<div id=\"module-position-PulGu5XkwQE\" class=\"story-asset oembed-asset\"><\/div>\n<p>Crews are\u00a0filling in the erosion around the spillway with boulders and gravel, said Josh Janssen, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.<\/p>\n<p>He did not know the volume of rocks being placed in the eroded area. At some point, the Department of Water Resources plans to cover the boulders and gravel with concrete, he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe goal is to replace the erosion and make (the spillway) stronger,\u201d said Janssen.<\/p>\n<p>The Department of Water Resources continues to let more water out of the lake at a rate of 100,000 cubic feet per second in an effort to lower the lake level to 50 feet below its capacity. That should allow room for more runoff and to accommodate coming storms, and allow the water agency to stop releases so they can make repairs to the crumbling main spillway.<\/p>\n<p>By Monday evening, the lake was about 6 feet from its crest.<\/p>\n<div id=\"module-position-PulGu5WeK9E\" class=\"story-asset video-asset\">\n<div class=\"ui-video-wrapper \">\n<div class=\"ui-pluto-video js-ui-video-init story-video inline-story-video smallarticleinlinehtml5 pluto-video-ready\">\n<div class=\"js-ptb pluto-title-bar\">\n<div class=\"pluto-title-bar-vcenter pluto-title-bar-text\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"js-ptb-close pluto-title-bar-vcenter pluto-title-bar-close\">\n<div>CLOSE<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"pluto-title-bar-close-icon\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/uxstatic\/usatoday\/usat-web-static-2838.0\/images\/sprites\/icon_close.png\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ui-pluto-still\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"ui-pluto-still-img\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/-mm-\/d44bf9ac740cfa2e4c015e985cf20e4ec8d6fdc9\/r=540\/http\/videos.usatoday.net\/Brightcove3\/29906170001\/201702\/506\/29906170001_5322219498001_5322221670001-vs.jpg\" width=\"540px\" height=\"304px\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ui-video-controls story-video inline-story-video\">\n<p class=\"video-desc\">Water continues to rush out of a damaged spillway at the Oroville Dam. Evacuations remain in place for residents downriver. <span class=\"credit\">USA TODAY NETWORK<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Most residents appeared to have heeded evacuation warnings, although some remained in towns from Oroville downriver to Marysville and Yuba City. At the news conference with Croyle, Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea defended the decision to order the evacuation and keep it in place.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a dynamic situation,\u201d he said. \u201cWe need to make sure that before we allow people back in those areas it is safe to do so.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Honea said the Sheriff\u2019s Office is devising a repopulation plan to let people go home in an orderly fashion when the time arrives.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking from the headquarters of the Office of Emergency Services just outside Sacramento, Brown pledged Monday night more scrutiny will be placed on California\u2019s massive infrastructure network.<\/p>\n<div id=\"module-position-PulGu5XWdXw\" class=\"story-asset gallery-asset\">\n<div class=\"companion-story-gallery companion-story-gallery0\">\n<div class=\"companion-galleries embedded_story hasendslate galleries\" data-gallery-id=\"97869256\" data-title=\"Photos: Crisis at Oroville Dam and spillway:Photos: Crisis at Oroville Dam and spillway\" data-seo-title=\"photos-crisis-at-oroville-dam-and-spillway\" data-ssts=\"news\" data-cst=\"news\" data-published-date=\"2017-02-13T16:48:04.1570000\" data-gal-pageurl=\"http:\/\/www.redding.com\/picture-gallery\/news\/2017\/02\/13\/photos-crisis-at-oroville-dam-and-spillway\/97869256\/\">\n<div class=\"viewport gallery-viewport\">\n<div class=\"slide gallery-viewport-slide horizontal active\">\n<div class=\"gallery-photo-border\">\n<h5><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"gallery-photo horizontal\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/-mm-\/2d2ebc3a69bf08f68dbd1b977edc6a7e26bd0b06\/c=1-0-1022-768&amp;r=x393&amp;c=520x390\/local\/-\/media\/2017\/02\/14\/Redding\/Redding\/636226778817859382-Oroville-dam-rainbow-0214.jpg\" alt=\"Mist from the main spillway at Oroville Dam creates\" data-mycapture-src=\"\" data-mycapture-sm-src=\"\" data-byline=\"Amber Sandhu\/Redding Record Searchlight\" data-large-src=\"http:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/-mm-\/8955f448d9e594eddef9e6edeaa482ae13ae8164\/c=1-0-1022-768&amp;r=x1443&amp;c=1920x1440\/local\/-\/media\/2017\/02\/14\/Redding\/Redding\/636226778817859382-Oroville-dam-rainbow-0214.jpg\" data-id=\"\" \/><br \/>\nMist from the main spillway at Oroville Dam creates a rainbow Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2017 as work continues to shore up erosion on the emergency spillway and water is released at 100,000 cfs to lower the lake levels in preparation for coming rain.\u00a0<span class=\"credit gallery-viewport-credit\">Amber Sandhu\/Redding Record Searchlight<\/span><\/h5>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>_<br \/>\n\u201cWe\u2019ll get a lot of eyes on the problem now that we have a problem. And the response is big,\u201d Brown said. \u201cThings can fail, whether its levees or dams or bridges, we\u2019ve got a lot of work to do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Brown specifically addressed questions about a 2005 motion to the Federal Energy Regulation Commission from environmental groups that raised concerns about the safety risks posed by the dam\u2019s emergency spillway.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was not part of the record before that, at least the record I saw,\u201d Brown said, adding he\u2019s glad the report is being discussed.<\/p>\n<p>An\u00a0engineer with the Federal Energy Regulation Commission responded to the concerns in 2006, saying the emergency spillway\u2019s design complied with the commission&#8217;s engineering guidelines.<\/p>\n<p>Schools in the evacuation areas\u00a0near Yuba and Sutter counties will remain closed at least through Tuesday,\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.sacbee.com\/news\/local\/education\/article132458924.html\"><em>The Sacramento Bee<\/em><\/a> reported. Many school districts were closed Monday in observance of\u00a0President Lincoln\u2019s birthday, though many will not open its doors until authorities deem the area safe,\u00a0<em>The Sacramento Bee<\/em> added.<\/p>\n<p>___<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/news\/nation-now\/2017\/02\/14\/oroville-dam-spillway-fixes\/97884412\/?utm_source=dlvr.it&amp;utm_medium=twitter\">http:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/news\/nation-now\/2017\/02\/14\/oroville-dam-spillway-fixes\/97884412\/?utm_source=dlvr.it&amp;utm_medium=twitter<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-66055","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66055","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=66055"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66055\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=66055"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=66055"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=66055"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}