You know that spillway "THEY" said was perfectly safe...

[Tortuga]

On 2/27/2017 at 9:47 PM, Tortuga said:

I wouldn't mind doing a little gold panning downstream just in case....

http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2017/07/19/damaged-oroville-dam-spillway-triggering-gold-rush-dreams/

[Tortuga]

It's been six months since the dam spillway started to fail, they decided to rebuild the entire spillway so they wouldn't have any more dam problems.

[Friends just call me Ross]

 

[pnutts]

Humm Here's an old dam story  about another dam failure.

 

Subject: Dam Government Agencies

   THIS WAS GREAT!! DON'T WE ALL KNOW HOW HE FEELS.  IF YOU
HAVEN'T ALREADY, YOU NEED TO SEND THIS TO OUR DAM HYDRO ENGINEERS AND OUR
DAM CIVIL ENGINEERS.
     
      -----Original Message-----
    
     
     
       This was an actual letter from and a reply to the Michigan
 department of Environmental Quality, State of Michigan:
      
       Mr. Ryan De Vries
       2088 Dagget
       Pierson, MI 49339
      
       Dear Mr. DeVries:
      
       SUBJECT: DEQ File No. 97-59-0023-1 T11N, R10W, Sec. 20,
Montcalm County
      
       It has come to the attention of the Department of Environmental
   Quality that there has been recent unauthorized activity on the
   above-referenced parcel of property.  You have been certified as the legal
 landowner and/or contractor who did the following unauthorized activity:
 
    Construction and maintenance of two wood debris dams across the outlet stream of
Spring Pond.
 
    A permit must be issued prior to the start of this type
of activity. A review of the Department's files shows that no
permits have been issued.  
Therefore, the Department has determined that this activity is in violation of
Part 301, Inland Lakes and Streams, of the Natural Resource and Environmental Protection Act,
 Act 451 of the Public Acts of 1994, being sections 324.30101 to 324.30113 of the Michigan
 Compiled Laws, annotated.
      
       The Department has been informed that one or both of the dams partially
failed during a recent rain event, causing debris and flooding at downstream locations.
We find that dams of this nature are inherently hazardous and cannot be permitted.
The Department therefore orders you to cease and desist all unauthorized activities at this location,
and to restore the stream to a free-flow condition by removing all wood and brush forming the dams
from the stream channel.
All restoration work shall be completed no later than January 31,1998.
      
       Please notify this office when the restoration has been completed so that a follow-up site
inspection may be scheduled by our staff.
    Failure to comply with this request or any further unauthorized activity on the site may result
in this case being referred for elevated enforcement action.
      
       We anticipate and would appreciate your full cooperation in this matter.
       Please feel free to contact me at this office if you have any questions.
      
       Sincerely,
       David L. Price
       District Representative
       Land and Water Management Division
      
      
       RESPONSE
      
       Dear Mr. Price:
      
       Re:  DEQ File No. 97-59-0023; T11N, R10W, Sec 20; Montcalm County
      
       Your certified letter dated 12/17/97 has been handed to me to respond to.
       You sent out a great deal of carbon copies to a lot of people, but you
neglected to include their addresses.  You will, therefore,have to send them a
copy of my response.
      
       First of all, Mr. Ryan De Vries is not the legal landowner and/or
       contractor at 2088 Dagget, Pierson, Michigan -
I am the legal owner and a couple of beavers are in the (State unauthorized) process of
constructing and maintaining two wood "debris" dams  across the outlet stream of my
Spring Pond.  
    While I did not pay for, authorize, nor supervise their dam project, I think they
would be highly offended that you call their skillful use of natural building materials "debris."
I would like to challenge your department to attempt to emulate their dam project any time
and/or any place you choose.
    I believe I can safely state there is no way you could ever match their dam skills,
their dam resourcefulness, their dam ingenuity, their dam persistence, their dam determination
 and/or their dam work ethic.
      
       As to your request, I do not think the beavers are aware that they first must fill
out a dam permit prior to the start of this type of dam activity.
    My first dam question to you is: (1) are you trying to discriminate against
my Spring Pond Beavers or (2) do you require all beavers throughout this State to conform
to said dam request?
      
       If you are not discriminating against these particular beavers, through
the Freedom of Information Act I request completed copies of all those other applicable
beaver dam permits that have been issued.
    Perhaps we will see if there really is a dam violation of Part 301, Inland Lakes
and Streams, of the Natural Resource and Environmental Protection Act, Act 451 of the Public Acts
of 1994, being sections 324.30101 to 324.30113 of the Michigan Compiled Laws, annotated.
      
       I have several concerns.  
My first concern is -aren't the beavers entitled to legal representation?  
The Spring Pond Beavers are financially destitute and are unable to pay for said
representation - so the State will have to provide them with a dam lawyer.
    The Department's dam concern that either one or both of the dams failed during a recent rain
event causing flooding is proof that this is a natural occurrence which the department is required to protect.
In other words, we should leave the Spring Pond Beavers alone rather than harassing them and
calling their dam names.  
    If you want the stream "restored" to a dam free-flow condition -
please contact the beavers  -but if you are going to arrest them (they obviously did not pay any attention
to your dam letter-being unable to read English) -- be sure they are read the Miranda rights first.
      
       As for me, I am not going to cause more flooding or dam debris jams by interfering with these dam builders.  
If you want to hurt these dam beavers-be aware I am sending a copy of your dam letter and this response
to PETA.  
    If your dam Department seriously finds all dams of this nature inherently hazardous
and truly will not permit their existence in this State-I seriously hope you are not selectively
enforcing this dam policy - or once again both I and the Spring Pond Beavers will scream prejudice!
      
       In my humble opinion, the Spring Pond Beavers have a right to build their unauthorized dams
as long as the sky is blue, the grass is green and water flows downstream.  
    They have more dam right than I do to live and enjoy Spring Pond.
    If the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection lives to its name,
it should protect the natural resources (Beavers) and the environment (Beavers' Dams).  
    So, as far as the beavers and I are concerned, this dam case can be referred for more
elevated enforcement action right now.  
Why wait until 1/31/98?  The Spring Pond Beavers may be under the dam ice
and there will be no way for you or your dam staff to contact/harass them then.
      
       In conclusion, I would like to bring to your attention a real environmental quality
(health) problem in the area.
It is the bears.
      Bears are actually defecating in our woods.  I definitely believe you should be
persecuting the defecating bears and leave the beavers alone.
    If you are going to investigate the beaver dam, watch your step!
(The bears are not careful where they dump!)
      
       Being unable to comply with your dam request, and being unable to contact you on your
dam answering machine, I am sending this response to your dam office via another government
organization - the dam USPS.
    Maybe, someday, it will get there.
      
       Sincerely,
       Stephen L. Tvedten
      
       cc:  PETA 

 

[pnutts]

Years ago, on property I had bought, I had a series of small dams removed, after having 4 of 5 beavers trapped. The trapper told me about

"The previous owner and the township had blasted a previous dam. It almost took out the highway.

It was the trapper who did the actual blasting - and he had to throw logs into the stream - Fast!" 

[Tortuga]

On 8/7/2017 at 4:31 PM, Tortuga said:

It's been six months since the dam spillway started to fail, they decided to rebuild the entire spillway so they wouldn't have any more dam problems.

The dam spillway is now functional again. It isn't finished but one milestone was to have the Dam spillway functional by Nov 1st..That's a lot of dam work...

[bagwell1987]

This dam topic is quite entertaining....particularly the one from PETA on behalf of the beavers...

[Friends just call me Ross]

Latest update from Oroville:

 

 

[Tortuga]

A Dam safety report about the Dam crisis has been released and it blames the DWR for the whole Dam problem.

 

The report also stated there wasn't a good Dam safety culture so a lot of the Dam problems were being ignored.

 

It also states the Dam engineer that designed the Dam spillway didn't have enough Dam experience to engineer a Dam job that big.

 

The local news reports that Dam operators have learned a lot from their Dam mistakes.

[tekmantwo]

They also report that the Dam spillway repair cost 500 million dollars. 

 

They mentioned that the Dam inspection teams that look at the Dam never caught all the Dam mistakes in the Dam and there was a lot of Dam complacency when it came to the Dam inspection reports.

 

It seems that the Dam inspector didn't notice the Dam problems and accepted the Dam as being ok.

 

They say it's a Dam revelation and a Dam wake-up call to all the Dam operators in the Dam world..

[Old]

1 hour ago, Tortuga said:

A Dam safety report about the Dam crisis has been released and it blames the DWR for the whole Dam problem.

 

The report also stated there wasn't a good Dam safety culture so a lot of the Dam problems were being ignored.

 

It also states the Dam engineer that designed the Dam spillway didn't have enough Dam experience to engineer a Dam job that big.

 

The local news reports that Dam operators have learned a lot from their Dam mistakes.

Please be careful in commenting on the dam authorities. All eartfilled dams on the west coast are under the authority of one person. In short the earth filled dams are under the supervision of one guy. It just happens that that dam authority is one of our brothers.

No kidding, at least this was the case before we moved to the coast. I hadn’t talked to him since moving to the Oregon Coast. We talked briefly at a memorial for a dear sister in Bellevue, WA. Recently, I did not ask him if he was still the dam authority the person responsible for the Dam problems at Orovlille dam, something’s you just do not discuss in polite society.

This not a joke, maybe a little tongue in cheek, but it is or was a fact.(or was a fact, perhaps he was retired when Oroville problem took place) Ernie, if you read this please comment.

A little additional note that might be of interest one or more of our members from the Eugene, OR, this same brother is the one that prevented the filling of Fern Ridge resevoir a few years back pending repairs were made on the spillway. No waterskiing or sailing that summer. 

[Tortuga]

28 minutes ago, Old said:

Please be careful in commenting on the dam authorities.

All of my comments were based on a local news report, they reported that an independent study determined the DWR was responsible for the dam problems. 

 

Here is an article i found.

https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/State-missed-problems-that-led-to-Oroville-Dam-12476316.php

Edited January 6, 2018 by Tortuga

[Old]

Come on Tortuga, what I posted was totally in humor. What I posted is a fact, but I am sure that Ernie would laugh at it also. He is fine brother, but 

no engineer can calculate an unforscene circumstance. 

However, the Oroville Dam is a Califonia project, not. Corps Of Engineer project. Ernie was Corps of Egineers fellow. I am sure he did a fine Dam Job! 

 

Edited January 6, 2018 by Old

[Tortuga]

Well, the dam authorities say the dam spillway is finished. The lake level is low enough to allow more time for the concrete to cure, however they say the spillway is ready to be used.

[Friends just call me Ross]

The new spillway doesn't incorporate the spectacular waterfalls and hydrodynamic spray display like the old one...

 

But, I bet the local residents like the new and improved version a lot better...

[Tortuga]

The new spillway was used for the first time today...

[Friends just call me Ross]

1 hour ago, Tortuga said:

The new spillway was used for the first time today...

Juan Brown  showed it LIVE on YouTube: