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In northern California, a state of emergency has been declared and an order has been issued to evacuate 190 thousand people due to the threat of a dam break near the city of Oroville - one of largest dams in USA. Now the water level in the Oroville reservoir has risen to critical point due to heavy rains, and the dam's drains are damaged, which at any time can lead to flooding of the adjacent territory.
In California, the evacuation of residents of the city of Oroville and neighboring areas has been announced due to the threat of a breakthrough of one of the largest dams in the United States. A total of 190,000 people have been ordered to evacuate. California Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency in the area. According to the California Fire Department, 35,000 people were evacuated in Butte County, which contains Oroville, 65,000 people in Yuba County, as well as 76,000 residents of Yuba City and 12,000 residents of Marysville.
The dam itself was not damaged, but an emergency spillway designed to be quickly emptied in the event of a sudden rise in water levels was destroyed on Sunday. According to the authorities, the spillway could not withstand the load and collapse at any moment, which will lead to the release of water from the Oroville reservoir. The main spillway was also washed out earlier last week.
If the dam breaks, the water could flood nearby towns. The water level in the Oroville Reservoir has risen due to heavy rain showers. Rainfall in Northern California is 228% above average for this time of year. “A dam failure like this is a disaster. We have determined that we cannot repair the damage,” California Water Resources Administration chief Bill Croyle said during a press conference.
The Oroville Dam on the Feather River is the tallest in the United States, reaching 230 meters in height. The dam was built in the 1960s. The Oroville Reservoir is the largest in California.
Doctor of Technical Sciences, Head of the Surface Water Modeling Laboratory of the Institute of Water Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences Mikhail Bolgov: “You need to know the design of this dam and what place the emergency spillway occupies in it in order to give a full-fledged forecast. But according to preliminary data, the consequences of its breakthrough can be catastrophic, there is a very large reservoir with high pressure, so the destruction can be colossal. Usually the spillway is arranged so that it starts working as soon as the reservoir is close to overflow. Operational services try never to bring the situation to this point, this is a last resort. Why all the negative conditions have accumulated there, why, roughly speaking, this hole began to work in emergency mode, it is not clear. During construction, conduits are specially left, which are then plugged with concrete. Maybe this is one of the remaining construction conduits, but, as I said, they are plugged with concrete. The evacuation of people always occurs when the risks become great. This does not mean that the dam will definitely not withstand, but it is necessary to carry out an evacuation. It is necessary to carry out a full set of emergency measures, because it is better to resettle people than to catch the corpses later. There is only one way to reduce the level - all spillways are opened, all turbines, if they are in the dam, are turned on at full capacity, thermal stations are turned off for this, and in such a beyond-design mode, the hydraulic structure begins to work in order to minimize the pressure on this place where the accident occurred.
Former director for technical policy of JSC RusHydro Rasim Khaziakhmetov:“Information about the state of the Oroville dam is contradictory, I would say too much media and does not allow you to accurately predict the consequences. If the media and local authorities exaggerate the risks, nothing serious will happen. If the photos and videos of the first half of the day are accurate, then watersheds can be destroyed and, again, the consequences will not be excessively catastrophic, especially since the authorities have taken serious measures to evacuate the population. It was a little annoying that on one of the shootings from a helicopter, signs of filtration of the dam itself were visible, but this is scary. Imagine that there will be a landslide and a wave with a height of more than 200 meters with a pressure of 20 atmospheres will rush down. Then it may turn out that it was necessary to evacuate not 180 thousand people, but much more. There was already an accident in history, when in 1963 a landslide occurred in Italy and poured water over the dam. Despite the fact that there was practically a flat desert around and the wave height was about 20 meters, several villages were washed away in 7 minutes, 3 thousand people died. Everything seems much more dangerous here.”
Former Deputy Minister of Energy and former Chairman of the Board of Directors of RAO UES of Russia Viktor Kudryavy: “There is very little accurate information about the real situation with the dam, to what height it can collapse, at what speed, the characteristics of the lake itself, the volume of water accumulated in it, what is the height difference downstream, the terrain, are there any turns that can provide overflow and mitigate the consequences. A lot of factors. But it is clear that the base of the dam is good, since they are not very afraid, and a breakthrough can only occur in the upper part. The dynamics of destruction, height and wave speed are terrible. Total destruction will lead to a catastrophe the world has never seen before. I really hope it doesn't happen."
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The California Department of Water Resources tweeted that the dam could burst within the hour. The main spillway has already been destroyed. A spare spillway may also not withstand the pressure of water, the bill goes to the clock.
Residents should stop traveling north towards Oroville, officials said.
According to official figures, almost 190,000 people have been evacuated. California authorities have also begun to take action to lower the water level in Lake Oroville. In order to fill the hole in the auxiliary spillway and prevent further destruction, rescue services intend to drop stones from helicopters.
The Butte County Sheriff also announced the evacuation. He asked people to leave the area near the lake, as well as the area where water could pour in in the event of a dam break.
Due to the evacuation, the timing of which has not yet been reported, many hours of traffic jams have formed on Californian roads. Emergency services are addressing these issues, noting that in a worst-case scenario, people's lives would be in real danger. At the same time, they noted that the situation is developing very rapidly.
Fire and Rescue Chief Kim Zagaris said at least 250 law enforcement officers from across California are on site or on their way to the dam area to prevent unrest and ensure the safety of evacuees.
Despite reports of looting in Oroville, the city's police deny this information. A city law enforcement spokesman claims that the lack of looting confirms the leadership of the local police department.
The danger of the dam breaking arose due to powerful water flows caused by heavy rains. On Saturday, February 11, water began to overflow through the emergency spillway, and then through the main one. The emergency release of water caused severe soil erosion, which could lead to dam failure. Although experts do not expect complete destruction of the structure, the consequences may lead to the uncontrolled release of a significant amount of flood water. The volume of water in the lake is estimated at more than 4.3 billion cubic meters.
Last Friday, California Gov. Jerry Brown asked the Federal Agency for emergencies announce a possible large-scale disaster due to floods and landslides.
Construction of the Oroville Dam, which began in 1962, was completed in 1968. Hydraulic structure 230 meters high - the largest in the United States. Downstream from the dam is the city of the same name with a population of more than 16 thousand people.
Russian experts note that a dam failure could lead to casualties.
Dam in the city of Oroville California breakthrough.
Helicopters are watching the destruction of a dam in California. Millions of online viewers watch as specialists try to patch up a huge hole.
US dam collapses last news
The California National Guard is on full alert to assist the authorities and the public in the aftermath of a possible disaster in the event of a dam failure at Lake Oroville. This was announced on Monday by US Department of Defense spokesman Jeffrey Davis.
About 23,000 National Guardsmen are stationed in California. As a Pentagon spokesman assured, "the entire composition" of units in this state is "brought to a state of readiness" in case of flooding. The personnel are "ready for action" if the dam is breached, he added.
Governor american state California Jerry Brown asked US President Donald Trump for help. It is needed by 188,000 people affected by the destruction of the highest dam in the United States.
Residents of nearby homes in the city of Oroville were evacuated due to fears that the dam's emergency weir would not be able to handle the pressure.
One of America's most populous states is in danger of flooding today. The dam on Lake Oroville is watched live by millions of viewers. They are trying to patch up the dam, in which they found a giant hole. If the dam breaks, a huge mass of water will cover several cities at once.
It seems that this is what is called "one step away from disaster." The footage filmed by cameramen from helicopters is impossible to watch calmly. And it seems that even engineers can no longer say what holds all this mass of water in a concrete pool.
California Gov. Jerry Brown introduced the regime earlier Monday. state of emergency in three counties - Sutter, Butte and Yuba. Butte County Sheriff Coney Honey told a press conference that the water level in the lake is "noticeably declining, but the evacuation order remains in place." According to preliminary information, this order affects 188,000 people.
USA dam in Oroville destruction photo
Dam in the city of Oroville California breakthrough
Dam in the city of Oroville California breakthrough
Dam in the city of Oroville California breakthrough
Kevin Lawson, head of the emergency headquarters: "We are dropping from helicopters rock. We are trying to fill this hole with stones in order to reduce the water pressure on the rest of the dam and prevent a disaster.”
The danger of collapse is caused by the fact that a hole the size of a football field formed in the main drainage of the dam, and the reserve channel was damaged by erosion. Control water resources The state redistributes the flows in the drainage channels in an optimal way, and also takes measures to reduce the water level in the lake. A plan has already been prepared for the use of helicopters, the crews of which are to drop stones to the damaged section of the main drainage system to fill the gap.
A dam break in California could lead to uncontrollable consequences, warns Alexander Solovyanov, professor and academician of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences, deputy director of the All-Russian Scientific Research Institute for Conservation of Nature.
Professor Solovyanov emphasized that a similar situation had developed in due time during the accident at the Sayano-Shushenskaya hydroelectric power station. And if there is a final breakthrough of the dam, then four million cubic meters of water will simply not be stopped.
In addition, the fragments of the dam itself in this case will represent a separate danger.
Russian water management specialists are ready to assist the United States in connection with the destruction of the dam, said Ilya Razbash, head of public relations and media at the Center for the Development of the Water Management Complex of the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources.
“If there is a need, Russian specialists will be able to provide the necessary assistance to their American colleagues. For example, we provide similar consultations within the framework of cooperation with the countries of Southeast Asia and a number of African countries,” Razbash said.