Saturday, June 19, 2021

Drought and scorching heat, both worsened by La Nina weather effects, have significantly depleted the water supply at Northern California's Lake Oroville. The lake's current water levels are hoovering around 700 feet above sea level, but if 640 feet is breached, then officials will likely be forced to close the Edward Hyatt Power Plant for the first time since it opened in 1967.

The lake's record low is 646 feet, and the state's Department of 

Water Resources expects that level to be observed in August



Recent water levels.


The set up.

Earlier this month, at least 130 houseboats were evacuated from the lake as water levels continued to drop. As a result, any lower and boat ramps would be inaccessible. 

Further, if the Hyatt plant closes, hydroelectric generation for the state's grid would be affected. At full capacity, the plant can power up to 800,000 homes. 


The article doesn't address this, but I wonder how much water the DWR had to release to maintain flows in the Feather River for fish.  That's important, but environmental laws often demand idiotic wastes of water for a marginal fish habitat when, in years like this, that water would be better retained. 

It should be an interesting late summer/fall here.


18 comments:

  1. You do realize the the Kalifornia Water Management department lowered all the reservoirs that held up to 5 years of water for farming and cities, RIGHT?????RIGHT????

    ReplyDelete
  2. Replies
    1. He's fine, as far as I know (LL keeps many secrets). He's active on his blog.

      https://www.virtualmirage.org/the-saturday-slam/

      Delete
  3. Upper management level employees of the Department of Water Resources who have not been advanced through their careers because of being members of a preferred demographic refer to DWR as the Department of Water Removal.

    ReplyDelete
  4. You're not happy when it's to high,
    You're not happy when it's to low,
    So you're only happy when it's just right?
    But you got Biden, so it'll be ok. Suckers

    ReplyDelete
  5. Less than 5 years ago Lake Oroville was OVERTOPPING the dam.....since than the DWR
    commies have allowed VAST amounts of water to be wasted to "save the fish". If the water that was held in all the Kali reservoirs....which were full less than 5 years ago...to be PROPERLY conserved this problem wouldn't be the enormous problem it now is.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's just another tool in the "It's Climate Change's fault" toolbox.

      If gasoline was only 100% more than other states instead of 50% higher we could solve this 'problem'.

      Delete
  6. I understand that California's DWR let about half the water go to the sea. California never built water storage after Ronald Reagan was governor and the population is about double. Its my home state and me and my wife still have family in the state.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Replies
    1. Not at all. Many of us didn't vote for this crap. At the moment we are outnumbered. Hopefully that will change.

      Delete
  8. During repairs to Oroville dam (the kingpin to the extensive state water project), the entire state, north to south, experienced heavy rainfall. The state water project also involves thousands of miles of canals. Those canals were flowing at as much as 33,000% capacity. (yes, you read that right). Most of the canals flowed at 11,000 to 24,000% capacity. One guess where all that water went. (I mean, other than moonbeam's private lake)
    Also, snow pack was 300-600%. On top of that, the Hyatt power plant at the dam was operating as low as 60% for the duration with one of six turbines out of commission and two others beginning to fail. Too, the power generating station one or two miles downstream was completely offline due to a fire several years before. I think the fire was six years prior. Work to repair the station had not yet begun and hadn't been planned until the dam disaster which very nearly became failure of the dam. California government is the epitome of neglect and malfeasance.

    Oh, and the year following that state-wide rain fall and heavy snow, the gov declared state-wide drought.

    Not only has none additional capacity been built, the ecoterrorists want to destroy some of the existing dams.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oops, I'm sorry. The deluge occurred before the repairs were begun. Keiwitt Construction won the bids. I am not sure of the total amount, I would not be surprised if the price tag exceeded $One Billion giggles.

      Delete
  9. it is past time for the California power grid to be isolated from the rest of the country. Cut them off and let them suffer with the bad choices they have made.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's funny how Cal ISO doesn't seem to have the least bit of problem importing power from out of state that's generated by coal or natural gas.

      Okay. Funny isn't the right word. It's phony and hypocritical. In other words, it's just another day in California.

      I really do wish the out of state generators would tell Cal ISO to go pound sand.

      Delete
    2. They are cut off. Most power used is purchased from outta state. No fossil fuel burning power generation can be added. Remember Enron and the smartest guys in the room.

      Delete
  10. Send 8 or 10 million of those future democrats back to Latin America, and the drawdowns wouldn't be quite so dramatic.

    ReplyDelete
  11. A few tons of Rotenone would solve the fish problems, although not in a manner that would please the envirowhackos.

    ReplyDelete