In 1905, an engineer gave California a lake. He didn’t do it on purpose; the cuts he made in a canal a few miles into Mexico burst open, releasing the full force of a flooding Colorado River into the Imperial Valley. For two years it filled a pit known as the Salton Sink, in southeastern […]
A year ago, politicians and experts were predicting a near-permanent statewide drought, a “new normal” desert climate. The most vivid example of how wrong they were is that California’s majestic Oroville Dam is currently in danger of spillway failure in a season of record snow and rainfall. That could spell catastrophe for thousands who live […]
With new storms approach, work will continue Tuesday at Oroville Dam to shore up a damaged emergency spillway that prompted the evacuation of more than 100,000 residents. What are workers doing? Drops: Helicopters are dropping sacks of rocks into a hole created by erosion. Dump trucks are also bringing in more rocks to patch other […]
The game plan is to get water behind the Oroville Dam below what its engineering designs call “flood control storage,” and keep it there. At that depth, the dam would have a buffer capacity of half a million acre-feet of water. At the current release rate, a pounding 100,000 cubic feet per second, the dam will […]
Why Keep The Salton Sea?
/in San Diego County /by Mike Lee /High Country News (Paonia, Colo.)by Patrick SteinIn 1905, an engineer gave California a lake. He didn’t do it on purpose; the cuts he made in a canal a few miles into Mexico burst open, releasing the full force of a flooding Colorado River into the Imperial Valley. For two years it filled a pit known as the Salton Sink, in southeastern […]
OPINION: The Oroville Dam Disaster Is Yet Another Example Of California’s Decline
/in San Diego County /by Mike Lee /Los Angeles Timesby Victor Davis HansonA year ago, politicians and experts were predicting a near-permanent statewide drought, a “new normal” desert climate. The most vivid example of how wrong they were is that California’s majestic Oroville Dam is currently in danger of spillway failure in a season of record snow and rainfall. That could spell catastrophe for thousands who live […]
How Do You Fix Crippled Oroville Spillway? Tons of Rocks and Sandbags
/in San Diego County /by Mike Lee /Los Angeles TimesWith new storms approach, work will continue Tuesday at Oroville Dam to shore up a damaged emergency spillway that prompted the evacuation of more than 100,000 residents. What are workers doing? Drops: Helicopters are dropping sacks of rocks into a hole created by erosion. Dump trucks are also bringing in more rocks to patch other […]
Cold Storm and Snow Could Help Avert Disaster at Oroville Dam
/in San Diego County /by Mike Lee /Los Angeles Timesby Paige St. JohnThe game plan is to get water behind the Oroville Dam below what its engineering designs call “flood control storage,” and keep it there. At that depth, the dam would have a buffer capacity of half a million acre-feet of water. At the current release rate, a pounding 100,000 cubic feet per second, the dam will […]