What’s it like on lake powell lately?

[jkidd]

Halls Crossing is now open to boats of all sizes.

[starcrafttom]

just say this old post and the new updates of the water rising faster then most anyone thought. Where did all the " it will never fill again" group go???? and no it will not fill this year but it might by next year. Just like all the lakes in California do every 4 years or so.

Any one that can look back or like me just remember back to my youth knows this is a normal cycle. The only real problem that California has is not enough dams have been built. If the Auburn dam, the sofar project ( dam near Placerville ca ) and the raising of the Folsom dam had been built in the late 80 early 90s California would not have a water shortage in the very predictable regularity scheduled dry years.

You cant save your way out of a water shortage when the population doubles. less then 20 mil in 65 ( year I was born) and 40 mil now, with very little water storage added. There have been 21 dams since 1970 that all combined don't equal lake Oroville.

And here is a quote from the La times, "nearly 95% of incoming water has flowed into the Pacific Ocean, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation."

40% of the water from the Sacramento river system ( all of Northern California from the coastal range to the sierras) goes right out to the ocean.

We need to save more water in the winter when the flow rate is high so we have it to release when it is not.

enough for that for today and as always I am not here to argue these facts. My family and my wives family have been in California since before it was a state. One of my uncles designed and built Oroville. Many of my family worked on it. I fished Oroville when it was 300ft below the ramp and " would never fill again" but it has three times including so full they broke it. Have had bomb fire parties and keggers at Folsom that would be in 100 ft of water today. It filled three years later. wet and dry cycles is what has always been the norm in California. The only thing that has changes is the amount of people and the planning for them or against them. We used to plan 50 years out for roads, highways , dams etc but now we just figure out how not to attract people to the state. California's population is on the way down from the first time since it became a state so its working.

PEOPLE
Population
Population Estimates, July 1, 2022, (V2022) 39,029,342
Population estimates base, April 1, 2020, (V2022) 39,538,245

[jkidd]

1983 I'll bet something is puckering. 6 foot six inches from going over the top.

[thataway]

Jody, I believe that all of these Col. River dams have spillways, so there is no threat of overcasting the dam.

Tom, Also there are vast underground storage areas, such has under the San Joaquin valley, which could be filled and then utilized without any major water loss by evaporation. But politics get in the way. (From another whose family goes way back in Calif. History.)

Even at this year's rate, it will take a number of years to fill Powell and Mead. As the water rises, the surface spreads out and the same volume of water in, causes less rise at the dam or ramps. I read one estimate that it would take 10 years to fill lake Powell. A lot depends on how much is retained in Powell, and how much released thru the Grand Canyon to Lake Mead and beyond.

[jkidd]

On the left they are 8' steel plates to the top of the spillways and on the right they added 4X8 sheets of plywood because the water was going to top the spillway gates. The spillways got all eroded and move tons of rock into the river system. The water was 8.4 feet over full pool.




Here is the video of the inspection and repair of the spillways.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8xZzmtM8iw&t=52s&ab_channel=konvideoful

[thataway]

Fantastic video. What engineering and construction skill, mixed with some daring to go into those tunnels.

Hopefully the lesson learned to have the pool level so that there is no risk of overtopping the dam. Plus the forces are increased as the lake comes to full pool.

Thanks

Bob

[alainP]

I'd like to see what kind of mechanism opens and closes the spillways, the forces at play must be enormous.

[ssobol]

At Lake Mead there are large diversion tunnels on both sides of the dam. The inlets to the diversions are a couple of feet lower than the max height limit on the dam. If the lake gets that high, the water will divert naturally.

[jkidd]

[jkidd]

Bullfrog's main launch ramp is now open with the water level at 3578.08. that's 58.16 feet of rise from low water.

[jkidd]

[jkidd]

Someone made it though Castle Rock Cut today.