Located at California's Lake Berryessa, gusty storms have led to rivers overflowing beyond their capacity.
The "Morning Glory Spillway," professionally known as such, is a one-of-a-kind, cone-shaped drainage system situated within Lake Berryessa, installed during the creation of the lake when Putah Creek was dammed in 1957.
The spillway, a 72-foot-wide funnel-shaped concrete pipe, started to spill water this week.
This unusual structure, designed to prevent the lake from overflowing, hasn't been activated since 2019, and has attracted the attention of onlookers to the artificial reservoir, situated approximately 113 kilometers northeast of San Francisco.
The spillway acts as a drainage system, directing excess water from the lake to Putah Creek, which is located on the opposite side of the Monticello Dam.
This "glory hole" spillway, as it is colloquially referred to, is a rare type of structure. Only a few of its kind exist in the United States, with one smaller example located at Whiskeytown National Recreation Area near Shasta, which also experienced a spill over this week.
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He witnessed the spectacular display on Wednesday morning accompanied by approximately twenty other individuals.
Chris Lee, general manager of the Solano County Water Agency, described it as 'a truly captivating sight,' noting, 'It's a rare occurrence that you can see in very few places globally.'
The spillway's unique design is a result of its geographical context. Situated in a narrow canyon, Lake Berryessa's terrain made it challenging to build a dam with a more traditional spillway.
The 'glory hole' operates similarly to the overflow drain in a bathtub, preventing the reservoir from overflowing when water levels reach a certain height.
Although the spectacle is undoubtedly impressive, the spillway has been triggered only a few times in the recent past, specifically in 2006, 2017, and 2019.
The lake's water level was just a fraction of an inch from reaching the trigger point that could have caused the spill.
In 2022 the year was ended by severe rainstorms and even higher elevations of snowfall in some regions.
Jay Cuetara, the supervise water resources engineer for the Solano County Water Agency, explained that the accumulation of two wet winters and the recent intense rainfall triggered the reservoir to reach its capacity.
We began the summer with a lake at maximum capacity, and then this winter brought a large amount of runoff due to several severe storms.
Lake Berryessa, created by the construction of the Monticello Dam in 1958, serves as a crucial water source for Solano County, although it is situated within Napa County.
In addition to its functionality, the lake is a very popular spot for people to relax and have fun.
The "glory hole," with its unusual appearance and impressive display, remains its most recognizable feature.
For those anticipating this occurrence, Cuetara predicts the spillway will continue functioning throughout the weekend and probably for another one to two weeks.
Although the water current is not powerful, people who swim or sail in the area are alerted to steer clear of the spillway whenever it opens due to the extreme water pressure occurring at the center of the waterfall.
In 1997, a woman plummeted to her death down a steep several-hundred-foot drop, at the base of which lies an 8-foot-wide pipe that channels water through a creek.
A striking video recorded another victim being pulled into the depths by the whirlpool in 2019, when a cormorant was swept up by a powerful surge of the tide.
Brionna Ruff, the spokesperson for the Bureau of Reclamation, stated that it is unlikely the cormorant was able to survive the treacherous plunge.
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When the culvert opened up that year, it was just the second time in 12 years that water levels had been high enough for this spectacle to occur.