ShreyaA Spillway
As the video in the next slides show that the hole was man-made. The reason why Evan had not thought of this possibility was that these manholes INSIDE a water body are very rare. He went to the right authorities to understand the reason for this hole and how it was hidden inside a lake which was visited daily by hundreds of people but first you should see the video that captures it all.
The Video
Here is the video that captures half the truth of the man-made spillway in Lake Berryessa, it still does not explain how it got there and how long it had been there. It was revealed later to Evan, and we disclose it ahead.
Manmade Everything
Lake Berryessa is manmade, we have told you that beforehand. This spillway was made at the same time this lake was made. It is the 7th largest artificial lake in California, which means it amasses a huge amount of water. THAT is the reason why the spillway was made- to control the water flow of the lake and to moderate it. Now the question is, how was it not noticed before.
Prevents Overflow
The spillway was created to prevent water overflow in the lake. It also prevented unwanted pressure buildup around the dam wall and other areas around it. But if the lake was made all these decades ago, somewhere in the mid 20th century then how did it manage to escape the human eye?
Draught Brought Cause
A decade-long drought meant that there was less than normal water in the lake, let alone water overflow which meant that the spillway had no purpose left. The water levels were all-time low and so the spillway was closed because of its lack of use. Mostly, the spillways go through sections of the dam wall or are over them. The design of the spillway in Lake Berryessa was different, making it appear like a hole in the river.
Different, Why?
Kevin King, the water and power operations manager at Solano Irrigation District, gave a statement, “The bureau has protocol and inspections, and with every inspection, everything has checked out so far. This construction and structure (Monticello) are much different than Oroville. We’re very narrow canyon here embedded in bedrock. The traditional spillway construction wouldn’t have fit here. It would have been very costly to drill into the side of the mountains here, so that’s how they came up with the design.”