Warm Up Ray Huang and Douglas Li P.6
Standards The warm-up analyzes a current event with the use of several news articles published on the Internet. CSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.9-10.8 Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the usefulness of each source in answering the research question; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.9-10.9 Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.9-10.6 Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products, taking advantage of technology's capacity to link to other information and to display information flexibly and dynamically.
Oroville Dam: A Crisis and Its Implications
CBS News Video took out because file was too large
Article 1: A race against the weather to avoid disaster at California's Oroville Dam (CNN ) Crews worked Monday to restore water levels and to repair dam controls before rains expected later in the week...these efforts come amid mounting questions about why more had not been done to prevent spillway erosion after concerns were raised more than 10 years ago. California Department of Water Resources Acting Director Bill Croyle said he was "not familiar with 2005 documentation or conversation" about spillway concerns and emphasized the efforts underway to understand the current dynamics of the dam.
Article 2: The Crisis at Oroville Dam, explained (Vox) The Oroville Dam was built in the 1960s, so it shouldn t be a huge surprise that it s experiencing wear and tear. Indeed, back in 2005, a handful of environmental groups warned that the dam failed to meet modern safety standards for severe flooding. They urged federal officials to mandate concrete fortifications along the auxiliary spillway as part of the relicensing process for the dam s hydroelectric plant. But as Paul Rogers of the San Jose Mercury News reports, both federal and state officials dismissed this request, arguing that it was unnecessary. Part of the resistance apparently came from local water agencies that would have to incur extra costs for the upgrades.
Article 3: How Did the Oroville Dam Crisis Get So Dire? (The Atlantic) The Oroville Dam may be the most urgent case in the country at this moment it s not often that nearly 200,000 people are forced to evacuate but it s hardly alone. In 2013, the American Society of Civil Engineers conducted its most recent quadrennial survey of the nation s infrastructure, and it gave the U.S. a D for maintenance of dams. Thousands of our nation s dams are in need of rehabilitation to meet current design and safety standards, the report said. They are not only aging, but are subject to stricter criteria as a result of increased downstream development and advancing scientific knowledge predicting flooding, earthquakes, and dam failures.
Discussion What can governments do to prevent incidents from outdated infrastructures? Think of potential solutions. (Should we hire more industrial workers? Do we need more regulations?) What problems could occur? (raising taxes, etc.) Consider relating this issue to other infrastructure incidents, such as: Fukushima nuclear disaster (2011) Power outages in major cities Also: Trump claims he will invest $1 trillion in infrastructure developments. In your opinion, is this realistic? How would we fund such undertakings?
Citations Emanuella Grinberg. "A race against the weather to avoid disaster at California's Oroville Dam." CNN. Cable News Network, 13 Feb. 2017. Web. 13 Feb. 2017. Plumer, Brad. "The crisis at Oroville Dam, explained." Vox. Vox Media, Inc., 13 Feb. 2017. Web. 13 Feb. 2017. GRAHAM, DAVID A. "How Did the Oroville Dam Crisis Get So Dire?" The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 13 Feb. 2017. Web. 13 Feb. 2017.