US - California: Butte County Sheriff orders immediate evacuation from the low levels of Oroville and downstream areas of Oroville Dam - February 12, 2017

[sharon sanders]

Butte County Sheriff

1 hr ?






This is an evacuation order.
Immediate evacuation from the low levels of Oroville and areas downstream is ordered.

A hazardous situation is developing with the Oroville Dam auxiliary spillway. Operation of the auxiliary spillway has lead to severe erosion that could lead to a failure of the structure. Failure of the auxiliary spillway structure will result in an uncontrolled release of flood waters from Lake Oroville.
In response to this developing situation, DWR is increasing water releases to 100,000 cubic feet per second.
Immediate evacuation from the low levels of Oroville and areas downstream is ordered.
This in NOT A Drill. This in NOT A Drill. This in NOT A Drill

https://www.facebook.com/bcsonews/?fref=nf

[sharon sanders]

Live feed but it is getting dark there:

https://www.facebook.com/KCRA3/videos/vb.115763581513/10155026580966514/?type=3&theater

[Shiloh]

Source: http://www.sacbee.com/news/state/cal...132332499.html
February 12, 2017 4:44 PM
BREAKING: Marysville, Yuba County evacuated as Oroville spillway collapse feared

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/news/state/cal...#storylink=cpy

By Ryan Sabalow
rsabalow@sacbee.com




Marysville and Yuba County ordered evacuated; officials unsure how Sacramento could be hit

5:42 p.m.
Marysville police say the city and Yuba County are under mandatory evacuation orders because of the feared collapse of the emergency spillway at Lake Oroville Dam. Yolo County officials said in a tweet that they do not expect any impact.
?The hazardous situation concerning the Oroville Dam auxiliary spillway is NOT expected to impact Yolo County,? the county said.
Cal OES spokesman Brad Alexander said officials were activating the state emergency operations center and could not immediately address how waterlogged Sacramento County might be affected.
?I can?t answer that right now,? Alexander said.
?It?s uncontrolled. It?s uncontrolled.?
5:30 p.m.
Fearing a gush from Lake Oroville if the emergency spillway collapses, officials are releasing as much as 100,000 cubic feet per second from the main, heavily damaged spillway in a frantic effort to drain the lake below where it spills out the emergency structure when the lake reaches maximum capacity, said Kevin Dossey, an engineer and Department of Water Resources spokesman.
The levee-line downstream channels in the Feather River could hold more than 150,000 cubic feet per second, said Maury Roos, a DWR hydrologist, but he said there?s a possibility that a levee could breach from the pressure.
Roos said that below where the Feather River merges with the Yuba River, levees are rated for a capacity of around 300,000 cfs.
When asked how much water could be released should the spillway collapse, DWR spokesman Chris Orrock said, ?It?s uncontrolled. It?s uncontrolled.?
Dossey said the emergency spillway was rated to handle 250,000 cubic feet per second, but it began to show weakness Sunday at a small fraction of that. Flows through the spillway peaked at 12,600 cfs at 1 a.m. Sunday and were down to 8,000 cfs by midday.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/news/state/cal...#storylink=cpy

[Shiloh]

Source: http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/02/1...er-of-failing/
Live Updates: Oroville Dam spillway is in danger of failing






By Bay Area News Group |
PUBLISHED: February 12, 2017 at 5:32 pm | UPDATED: February 12, 2017 at 5:58 pm


Follow this live blog for updates on the emergency evacuation ordered for Oroville-area residents by the state Department of Water Resources, which predicts that the auxilliary spillway at the Oroville Dam will fail within the next hour.
The department issued the evacuation advisory around 4:40 p.m. Sunday, just four hours after holding a press conference where they said they didn?t anticipate such problems.
The National Weather Service in Sacramento issued a flash flood and dam failure warning for Butte County.
This live blog is courtesy of www.chicoer.com Click here if you are having trouble viewing this on your mobile device...

[sharon sanders]

The Sacramento Bee is updating a blog:

http://www.sacbee.com/news/state/california/water-and-drought/article132332499.html#wgt=trending

[sharon sanders]

Live stream of local tv:

https://livestream.com/accounts/10262876/events/3724366

[Emily]

http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/02/12/oroville-dam-feds-and-state-officials-ignored-warnings-12-years-ago/

Oroville Dam: Feds and state officials ignored warnings 12 years ago

By Paul Rogers | progers@bayareanewsgroup.com |
PUBLISHED: February 12, 2017 at 9:37 pm | UPDATED: February 14, 2017 at 8:18 am

More than a decade ago, federal and state officials and some of California?s largest water agencies rejected concerns that the massive earthen spillway at Oroville Dam ? at risk of collapse Sunday night and prompting the evacuation of 185,000 people ? could erode during heavy winter rains and cause a catastrophe.
Three environmental groups ? the Friends of the River, the Sierra Club and the South Yuba Citizens League ? filed a motion with the federal government on Oct. 17, 2005, as part of Oroville Dam?s relicensing process, urging federal officials to require that the dam?s emergency spillway be armored with concrete, rather than remain as an earthen hillside...