Apparently in 2008, it was found that a key reservoir in part of California’s water delivery system was found to be in serious danger of collaps during an earthquake.
During test borings 2008, consultants found that the dam’s foundation was not built on solid bedrock in 1950s. Rather, there is some sand and gravel under it, which could liquefy in a big quake, causing the dam to potentially slump and fail.
Esentially that means the dam needs to be replaced. What’s there taken out, dig down to bedrock and rebuild it. Several in Utah have undergone this proceedure in recent years. So what’s the hold up?
The district has worked on a project to rebuild the dam, but it has faced numerous delays and cost overruns. The project’s cost estimate is now $550 million. Construction was scheduled to begin next year, but the district has said it has had difficulty obtaining permits from other government agencies.
And it’s NOT federal agencies that have been holding this up.
The district also is sponsoring a bill in the state Legislature, introduced Friday, that would expedite permits for the dam rebuilding project. On Monday, many questions remained unanswered. Nevertheless, the news that the biggest reservoir in the county will go dry sometime after Oct. 1 is a major development in Silicon Valley’s water picture.
It’s California officials who are dragging their feet on issuing permits for the Dam to be rebuilt. Fed’s have had enough, and have ordered it to be drained until it can be made safe.
Anyone see the problem here (and I’m not talking Federal problem)
So the dam has to be drained regardless. I am not seeing the problem here, hopefully the permitting is expedited so the dam is put back into operation as quickly as possible. It not even clear that it would be delayed more than it has to be at this point.
Wait until the enviro-wackos get involved. They’ve been pushing for permanent removal of dams for the sake of river restoration for decades (and have succeeded in making that happen for some dams.) Looks like this one could become a major target. If you have to take it down to repair it, then why not cut costs and just leave it down!
Good luck, Calif. If the environmentalist (who happen to breed especially in Calif) get their way, you’re eventually going back to being a desert.
My interpretation is they did not want to drain and fix it during a drought, and wanted to keep it half full until other systems could fill the gap. But yeah, that has been rejected and necessity drives urgency.
Seems like hand wringing about potential delays that isn’t an actual problem yet.
You mean concern that this dam has been a danger to California Citizens for 12 years now?
You mean concern that this dam isn’t being rebuilt because of burdensome regulations?
You mean concern that their hope now lies in the California legislature to fix the burdensome regulations?
I am sure that it is an environmental issue…like what to do with all of the fish and aquatic life in the reservoir. In Indiana we have had this done several times on much smaller reservoir’s and what they do is that they shock the lake stun the fish, net them out and put them in water trucks and take them to other reservoirs in the state. Then when the work is done, they go back shock the same species of fish and take them to the newly finished reservoir.
I am sure that California would insist that a 5 year environmental study be done, in the meantime jeopardizing the safety of everyone down stream of the dam. Only in Cali…would it take 12 plus years to actually do something about this situation.
That’s right and you know what that means don’t you?
Although unlikely, if that occurred when the reservoir was full, such as during a wet winter, it could send a wall of water 35 feet high into downtown Morgan Hill within 14 minutes, and 8 feet deep into San Jose within three hours, potentially killing thousands of people.
If it were to fail, 8 eet of water in San Jose withing three house potentially killing thousands.
If a failure were to occure, more people would be killed by the dam in California, than say the failure of Echo Reservoir in Utah (down stream is Morgan, and Ogden Utah).
I don’t disagree Snow…I was just saying that comparing the simplicity of doing it in Utah…is not the same as doing it in California…where one Reservoir out of commission for 5 years or more…would be a serious threat to everything in that area…and while California is in drought…what’s a governor to do.
My guess is that they roll the dice and that could be catastrophic. It should have been addressed 10 years ago.
