5 Briefly describe the causes of the recent Oroville reservo

5. Briefly describe the causes of the recent Oroville reservoir crisis. Could we have done better to prevent it? What lessons have you learned? (400-600 words)

Solution

Oroville Dam :

            The Oroville Dam in northern California is the tallest dam in united states, rising 770 feet high. It holds back a reservoir containing 1.1 trillion gallons of water, supplying farms and cities across the state. It’s a vital piece of in fracture.

But over a past week, the aging dam has also became a serious threat.

Oroville dam’s spillway came to the brink of failure :

            In the winter of 2016-2017, after heavy rain in northern California, Oroville’s water level rose quickly. While the water may have been a welcome sight after years of drought, unprecedented rainfall filled the reservoir to dangerous levels. To relieve some of the pressure, the state released water down the main spillway at rate of up to 54,500 cubic feet per second. Then, on Feb. 7, a crack in spillway appeared and soon grew in to a 250-ft crater. It’s created a new problem. Too much water.

            Dams are typically engineered to handle overflow via what’s called a “spillway.”

When the water reaches a certain level at the Oroville reservoir, managers can release the excess in a controlled fashion through a giant concrete chute next to the dam, sending the water into the Feather River. The problem is that Oroville dam main spillway has become severely damaged. A giant hole suddenly opened up, with concrete crumbling and water flying everywhere. In the after math managers were reluctant to send water reaching demon this main specially. The damage got worse. But the water levels in the Oroville reservoir kept rising and raising and it has gone to somewhere. So for the first time in dams so yank history water began pouring over the top of the auxiliary on emergency spillway to the left of the main concrete . A feature that server as a last resort. The began eating way at the ground breath the earth. The department of water resources warned that the lip of the auxiliary spillway.

Is the 30feet high concrete barrier at the top as the auxiliary spillway collapsed billon of gables as water would start breasting from the reservoir all at once.