Oroville Dam Update: More dangerous right now than ever.

There was an event yesterday at the Oroville Dam which, again, proves that the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) is blatantly lying through their teeth when they repeatedly assure the public that everything is "just fine" with the main spillway.

Count me among those who, a couple weeks ago, thought maybe DWR would get through this season OK after all, let the water levels continue to drop, and either take down the dam or make major repairs this summer. But instead, they dropped the needed outflows from the Hyatt Power Plant, and have been INTENTIONALLY letting the water levels increase to the point that they are now at a new highwater mark for this season at 895.8'...or just 5 feet and 2 inches from overflowing. This, despite past public statements about how they always leave many feet of additional water storage capacity for emergency situation.

Most disturbingly was a sudden unexpected release down the main spillway which occurred yesterday morning:

(Source and more photos: https://imgur.com/gallery/K0Z1UZE)

The thinking is that one of the seals on Gate #8 suddenly gave way, allowing for a sudden wave of water that you see in the photos above. This wave took out the little makeshift dam on the spillway that they had put in place to send the badly leaking main spillway water down just one side of the spillway. This, as workers construct a road across the bottom of the spillway due to the current bridge and road being so weakened and dangerous.

Oh, but "everything is just fine" at the Oroville Dam, says DWR.

Uh huh.

Should even one of these eight gates give way, the whole dam will go, and with it the U.S. economy and the rest of our few remaining freedoms.

Guaranteed.

And...pardon me for being among those who believes it is quite possible that this is something certain people in high places have had in mind for us all along...

(Some photos of the offending gate area: https://twitter.com/weiryone/status/1142640145209810944)