Scrivener Dam Floodgates to be opened?

Just the rooster tail of water visible from the road this morning. I guess that’s from the sluice gate. Would love to see the flap gates open.

The main floodgates were apparently open at some stage on Wednesday but closed again by 5pm. We saw some guys going into the dam control room and waited another 15min hoping they would open them again but nothing…

Anyone been over today?

Dam Nerds… I guess we can blame the drought for the creation of a new sub-species of nerd.

As the Sideshow Bob said in the Simpsons last night, “Cecil, no civilization in history has ever considered chief hydrological engineer a calling. Well Yes, yes, the Cappadocians, fine.”

i’d be keen for a photo trip too maybe.
I would not expect one to notice too much if they were on the lake, unless they were inside the line of buoys, which are there for that specific purpose…

I heard on 106.3 on wednesday afternoon that the flood gates (ie belly flap fish things) were open.

I woudl love to get pictures of this happening as well.

If anyone has further info – I would be pretty excited to hear it.

Thanks, various dam nerds – I always wondered how that whole system worked. I, too, would be interested to know when they’re opening it – there’d be some nice photographing to be had – though I think the Howell-Bunger valves make for the most spectacular…spectacle – I wouldn’t have described what they send up as a “small” jet 🙂

Just to clear something up. The second level of measures to releive excess water are called Howell-Bunger valves. They send a small jet of water in an arc. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floodgate)

MWest, quite right. The environmental flows always let out a little flow ofcourse. Then a second level of outlet valves or sluices may be opened which send a jet in a small arc. The thrid and final level to remove excess water is to open the amusingly named “Fish Belly Flap Gates”.

One question though. When they go all the way and open one or more of the fish flaps, what happens if you’re on the water in a boat? Some one at work said it happened to them and they got a rather large scare. Maybe they’re just telling fish tales.

Wasn’t all that long ago you were all whinging about the golf course using water from the lake, now it is overflowing….

Hasdrubahl – I have limited access to a phone during business hours at work because of the nature of what I do. I’ll spare you the technical details.

sim_m_o – What you are probably seeing is the flow from the sluices, which are different from the five spillways. My fiancee is a water engineer and she is kind of into dams and the like. There is also some info on Scrivener Dam at Wikipedia