Oroville Dam - Its happened before

[someguy]

Seeing the recent news of the near disaster at the Oroville dam reminds me of a similar situation at Lake Powell that almost reclaimed Glen Canyon during a high water year: http://www.canyoncountryzephyr.com/oldzephyr/archives/reclaiming.html

I wonder if the repairs made to the emergency spillway at Glen 30 years ago are ready for this years snowmelt?

 

[Nick]

I don't think the spillways at Glen Canyon Dam will be getting any use this year. The combination of events in 1983 are quite different than they are today. Right now the lake is at 3594', 106 ' below full pool. On this day in 1983, it was at 3682', 18' below full pool. At this time in the '83 winter it was looking solid but not as good as it is now. Most of the '83 madness came in the late winter and spring. Maybe that could still happen, but I don't think it will be enough to bring Lake Powell up 100+ feet.

But what's happening at Oroville right now is amazing. I am watching closely.

 

[Wyatt Carson]

I don't think the spillways at Glen Canyon Dam will be getting any use this year. The combination of events in 1983 are quite different than they are today. Right now the lake is at 3594', 106 ' below full pool.

If my brain is working, I recall that Lake Powell reached full pool for the first time ever in 1982. So that set up 1983 about right for the event. We camped there during 1982 for a week. Sometime after that I discovered a cool bolted route in an area of Antelope where that bolt was about 10 feet above the water level. Over the years since, the water dropped and dropped until finally there was nothing but a waterless abyss there as I visited the area several times a year. My guess is it might take years and years of of extreme winter precip to fill it to full pool again.

 

[Nick]

If my brain is working, I recall that Lake Powell reached full pool for the first time ever in 1982. So that set up 1983 about right for the event. We camped there during 1982 for a week. Sometime after that I discovered a cool bolted route in an area of Antelope where that bolt was about 10 feet above the water level. Over the years since, the water dropped and dropped until finally there was nothing but a waterless abyss there as I visited the area several times a year. My guess is it might take years and years of of extreme winter precip to fill it to full pool again.

Pretty close. It first reached full pool in 1980 and stayed somewhat close to full up to the '83 event. Part of the reason they failed to make more room in advance was the relatively late winter/spring arrival of the heavy precipitation that year.