Rocks Being Dropped to Shore Up Auxiliary Spillway

PEOPLE.
WORD CONTINUES ÃWORK CONTINUES
AND WE CONTINUE TO HEAR ABOUT
THE HELICOPTERS DROPPING ROCKS
TRIED TO PLUG UP THE HOLES IN
THE EMERGENCY SPILLWAY.
IT IS A BIG PROCESS.
SCOTT MILLER IS ON THE PHONE.
HE'S AN AVIATION EXPERT.
TELL US WHAT THE PROCESS IS
LIKE YOUR.
THIS IS UNDER THE COVER OF DARK
US.
-- DARKNESS.
WHAT IS THIS JOB LIKE. WELL,
GOOD EVENING.
WHAT IS HAPPENED ÃWHAT IS
HAPPENING IS THAT EVEN THOUGH
IT IS THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT,
THE CIVILIAN OPERATORS CAN USE
NIGHT VISION GOGGLES, JUST LIKE
THE MILITARY DOES.
SO ALL OF THE ADVANCES THAT THE
MILITARY HAS, THE CIVILIANS USE.
I THINK TONIGHT IS AN EXCELLENT
TIME TO BE ABLE TO USE THAT.
AS FAR AS THE PATCHES GO, I
BELIEVE THEY ARE GETTING WHAT
WE CALL A LONGLINE TRANSFER,
WHICH IS THE ABILITY TO TAKE
PRETTY HEAVY LOADS AND THEN
SUSPEND THEM FROM THE
HELICOPTER AND TRANSFER THEM AND
PUT THEM DOWN PRECISELY WHERE
YOU NEED THEM.
I'M CARESSING THE ROCKS THEY USE
ARE JUST THE RIP RAP ROCK.
IF YOU ARE FAMILIAR WITH THAT
PART OF SACRAMENTO AND THE
LEVEES, AROUND THE POCKET,
THOSE BOULDERS ARE THE SIZE OF
SOCCER BALLS AND THEN PUT THIS
IN A LARGE SACK.
IT'S A BIG GUNNYSACK OR A 50
POUND RISA SACK, THEN THOSE
THINGS WILL CONFORM TO THE
SHAPE TO FILL THE MAN.
THAT WILL MAKE PRETTY MUCH A
WATERTIGHT SEAL AND ALLOW THE
SPILLWAY TO RECOVER.
THEN IT COULD DIVERT THE WATER
TO WHERE YOU WANT IT.
RIGHT ON CUE, WE ARE SHOWING
VIDEO OF WHAT YOU ARE TALKING
ABOUT.
THE HUGE BAGS OF ROCKS.
HOW LOW DOES THE HELICOPTER GO
BEFORE IT IS DROPPED. THAT IS
THE BEAUTY OF WHAT WE CALL THE
LONGLINE.
THE LINE ITSELF IS DANGLING
FROM THE HELICOPTER COULD BE
200 FEET LONG.
SO THAT IS PRETTY CLOSE TO THE
SURFACE.
IT ALLOWS THE HELICOPTER TO BE
AT A SAFE ALTITUDE ABOVE THE
GROUND SO THAT IF SOMETHING WAS
TO OCCUR THAT MIGHT ENDANGER
THE HELICOPTER, THE PILOT COULD
SEVER THE LINE AND ALLOW THE
ROCKS TO FALL WHERE THEY COULD
AND THEN THE HELICOPTER COULD
GO TO SAFETY.
IF THERE IS NOT A PROBLEM, HE
CAN PRECISELY PLACED THE BAGS
OF ROCKS WHERE THEY NEED THEM.
SPENT YOU HATE TO MONDAY
MORNING QUARTERBACK THIS, BUT
WHAT I DO THIS EARLIER. WELL,
THE WHOLE ISSUE WAS THIS
SOMETHING ENGINEERS AND THE
OTHER AGENCIES WILL WORK ON IT.
THE ORAL DAM, OF COURSE, IT
SEEMS TO ME THAT IT IS A DOMINO
EFFECT, AND THE ORIGINAL
SPILLWAY AND THEN THE WHOLE
DEVELOPED IN THE EROSION
STARTED.
THERE WAS CONCERN ABOUT
ALLOWING THAT TO CONTINUE, THEY
WERE CONTINUING TO TAKE THE
POWER LINES DOWN.
THAT WOULD DEPEND ON THE
EMERGENCY SPILLWAY WHICH WOULD
BE USED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 4
YEARS.
THAT SEEM TO BE DEGRADING
QUICKLY.
IT WAS A QUESTION OF THEN
PUBLIC SAFETY AND ENSURING THAT
THERE WEREN'T UNCONTROLLED
STREAMS OF WATER.
THEY HAD TO COME UP WITH THE
SITUATION AND GET IT FIXED
QUICKLY.
IT WAS FORTUNATE THAT THE
HELICOPTER FOLKS COULD STEP UP
AND MAKE IT HAPPEN. A LONG
LINE OF HELICOPTERS COMING IN.
THEY ARE MOVING THE ROCKS
TRYING TO GET A HANDLE ON.
AND THEN GIVING THEM THE EYES
ON THE SKIES THAT THEY NEED.
WHAT COMES NEXT FOR THEM.
IS THIS AN ONGOING PROCESS
UNTIL THEY ARE ABLE TO GET THIS
SHORED UP IN A WAY THAT THEY
FEEL SECURE?
IS THAT WHERE THEY GO FROM
HERE?
I BELIEVE SO.
I'M SURE THE ENGINEERS ARE
TAKING A LOOK AT IT AND THEY
ARE THE ONES ENSURING THAT
THERE IS ENOUGH MATERIAL PLACED
AT THE BREACH.
THEY WANT TO MAKE SURE THE
WATER DYNAMICS DON'T CONTINUE
TO BE TAKING THE WATER WHERE IT
SHOULDN'T BE.
THE PILOTS ARE ON-DEMAND, ON-
CALL.
YOU CALL WE HAUL SORT OF THING.
THEY WILL HAUL AS MUCH AS
REQUIRED.
IT'S UP TO THE ENGINEERS.
THEY ARE TRYING TO DETERMINE
WHAT NEEDS TO BE PLACED WHERE
TO ENSURE THAT THE WATER IS IN
CONTROL.
AND THAT IT DOESN'T GO INTO AN
UNCONTROLLED STATE TAKING OUT
PROPERTY AND POSSIBLY
ENDANGERING LIFE.
SCOTT MILLER, AVIATION
EXPERT.
YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING
ABOUT.
WE APPRECIATE YOUR CALLING IN.

Rocks Being Dropped to Shore Up Auxiliary Spillway

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