[Tobra]

Let me give it a shot John.

They lowered the lake level significantly during a break in the weather. Lowered enough, maybe, depends on how much it rains.

If you look at the dam, the spill ways are off to the left of the cement part that you see and think, that's a dam. The cement part is anchored to bedrock on both sides. The water from the hydro electric plant comes out on the right of the dam and flows out below it. Max flow for it is like 15% of the main spill way. The first spillway you see to the left of the dam is the main one, it can be dialed up or down, even off, I believe max is 150,000 cfm. There are drains under the spillway that are supposed to take water out from under the spillway in such a manner that the dirt under it does not wash out; supposed to, I say. If the flow goes much over 200,000, it overwhelms the levees and there is flooding downstream.

They worked round the clock for a few days on repairs to the spillways. Supposed to rain today, rain hard tomorrow. The emergency spill way is like a little dam, off to the left side of the main one, top of which is 30' lower than the main dam. No gates on it though, so if it gets that high, it goes over the top and down that spillway. This is the part that is in danger of failing. The way it is laid out, if it goes, the reservoir behind the dam drops 30' with alacrity, and bad things will ensue. Bedrock separates the dam from the part that could potentially wash out, so it is probably not going anyplace.

Kids are at Lake Tahoe. I will talk to them today, will be interested in how the drive up there was, and how hard it is snowing. If it is raining at the lake level, it might not work out so well. A lot of the watershed for that dam is above 5000' with snow on the ground already. If it is raining up there, it will melt enough snow to make it get ugly in a hurry.