As 2017 continues to be the wettest year in California for the last 20 years, everybody is astounded, and not quite prepared. Nearing 15 inches of rainfall this year in Turlock, and probably far more in other parts (because we of the rain shadow we do not get as much), lakes are filling up and rivers are flowing. As lakes begin to fill, lots of stress is placed on dams, for it is there job to hold the water in and release it in healthy quantities. However, as substantiated by the Washington Post, not all reservoirs have adequate facilities, meaning that they are not ready for this huge amount of water. This is exemplified by the failing of the Orville Dam spillway. Because of the huge amount of water and some cost cutting choices when building the dam, the water spilled over the spillway (ironic) and undercut the spillway. This has led to some serious issues as Orville is struggling to find ways to release the water. Orville has decided to evacuate 185,000 people for precautionary measures because if the dam were to overflow, the whole town would flood. Hopefully Orville is able to manage the problem and as of right now, it looks like they are working to solve the problem.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2017/02/12/expected-dam-spillway-fail-prompts-calif-evacuation/97834632/
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Matthew Hesse16 Years old Archives
May 2017
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