Joined: 01 May 2011
Posts: 142
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Shasta Dam on Lake Shasta opens spillway after 19 years.
By Daniel Ryant (United States of America)
Shasta Dam (located in California)
For the first time in over 19 years, the spillway at Shasta Dam was opened up, releasing thousands of gallons of water into the already flood ridden valley. There was a good reason for this however. Shasta Lake is close to capacity and the Bureau of Reclamation wanted to test the gates to make sure they worked before the lake’s water level reaches the top of the spillway. If the gates are not operational, an uncontrollable wall of water would rush down the Sacramento River, leaving hundreds of thousands of people with no choice but to evacuate.
According to Don Bader, Area Manager for the USBR, these gates have not been open for more than 19 years. I’ve attempted to contact Bader to ask if this test was the result of the recent dam failure in Oroville, Ca. where the nation’s largest earthen dam experienced near catastrophic failure, but I have not yet heard back from his office.
Just prior to the opening of the gates, Shasta Dam was already releasing 70,000 cubic feet per second. Opening the spillway gates added an additional 1,000 cubic feet per second increasing the amount of localized flooding in and around the Shasta and Tehama county areas.
Shasta Dam currently provides energy and water to most of the North-State, as well as much of the Sacramento Valley. |
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