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Death Valley Flash Floods - all roads closed


dirtyboots

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14 hours ago, LindaH said:

I wonder if Scotty's Castle got flooded again?  They're still in the process of doing repairs from the *last* flood that happened a few years ago.

From the park's web site it states "no assessment yet of Scotty's Castle".  

Full-timed for 16 Years
Traveled 8 yr in a 2004 Newmar Dutch Star 40' Motorhome
and 8 yr in a 33' Travel Supreme 5th Wheel

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8 hours ago, 2gypsies said:

From the park's web site it states "no assessment yet of Scotty's Castle".  

I know.  That's why I was wondering what the status of Scotty's Castle was.  Hopefully, the Death Valley Facebook page will have an update soon.

LindaH
2014 Winnebago Aspect 27K
2011 Kia Soul

 

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The last flood was in Oct 2015 which did heavy damage to Scotty's Castle.  Right now they need to clear the roads before they can access the new damage.  I fear what they'll find won't be good.  It was almost ready to be re-opened and now this.  It makes me sick.... such a beautiful part of history.

I'm surprised they couldn't fly over it to get a glimpse of the damage.  Maybe they did but couldn't tell exactly how much damage and didn't want to put out any information until they could get to it via the road.  

Full-timed for 16 Years
Traveled 8 yr in a 2004 Newmar Dutch Star 40' Motorhome
and 8 yr in a 33' Travel Supreme 5th Wheel

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On 8/7/2022 at 5:43 AM, LindaH said:

I know.  That's why I was wondering what the status of Scotty's Castle was.  Hopefully, the Death Valley Facebook page will have an update soon.

From everything I've seen the runoff damage and flooding was in the central part of the Park, primarily along Hwy 190 west of Stovepipe Wells and east of Furnace Creek, with canyon runoff carrying debris into the Furnace Creek/Death Valley Inn areas.  Scotty's Castle is some 50 miles north of there and there's Park Service and/or contractor staff on site at the Castle.  I'm sure if there was a problem at the Castle they would have reported it by now, so no news is probably good news. 

There are no reports of damage in Beatty itself, just to the Beatty Cutoff Road inside the park.  Here in Pahrump the previous week we got a storm cell on the alluvial fan east of town that caused some moderate runoff damage and short term flooding (a few inches) in the southern part of town but nothing but intermittant rain since then. 

Latest word is they're concentrating on clearing Hwy 190 from Furnace Creek towards Pahrump to facilitate work crew and equipment access.  They cleared a single lane to let people stranded at Furnace Creek get out with police escorts but the road will remain closed to the public until at least next week.  The park will probably remain closed significantly longer.

Edited by Lou Schneider
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15 hours ago, Lou Schneider said:

Latest word is they're concentrating on clearing Hwy 190 from Furnace Creek towards Pahrump to facilitate work crew and equipment access. 

Let us know if you hear anything new as if you are at home you probably get more and better information that most of us see in the national reports. 

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

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why is everybody getting all this rain. we here in northern ca need it desperately. as water will be rationed again this year.

some towns and city's ran out of water in past years. aka: nothing in the underground aquifers. only southern ca gets all the water they want.... till the lakes up here run dry.

a number of the big water corps. are going to use tax moneys to suck water from the Mississippi river and pump it into the Colorado river. so soon 10 years or so), parts of the south mid west will have water problems

Edited by packnrat
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1 hour ago, packnrat said:

a number of the big water corps. are going to use tax moneys to suck water from the Mississippi river and pump it into the Colorado river.

Drought Revives Mississippi River Pipe Dreams  

JULY 22, 2022  BY WATERWAYS JOURNAL

Quote

Every study done so far has concluded that the scale and expense of such projects make them wildly impractical, to say the least. 

Besides, according to California figures, state residents are using 2.6 percent more water this January than they did in January 2020, before the state declared a drought emergency, despite water shortage alarms. In the Palm Springs area and the Imperial Valley, water use is up by 19 percent over 2020 levels.

Before floating impractical pipe dreams to divert Mississippi River water, the western states need to have hard conversations about water conservation.

 

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

            images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQqFswi_bvvojaMvanTWAI

 

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Las Vegas has been actively preparing for this for the past 20 years.  They're currently the most water efficient large city in the world, beginning by removing lawns and other outdoor water users in favor of natural desert landscaping.  Even things like the Bellagio fountains and the Canals at the Venetian use mostly recycled water.  Las Vegas has one of the most advanced wastewater treatment plants and something like 90% of all water used in the city is restored to drinking water quality and returned to the lake.  They just completed a new tunnel that will let them continue to get water from Lake Mead (their main water source) even if it falls below the "dead pool" level that no longer lets water pass through Hoover Dam.

Edited by Lou Schneider
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10 hours ago, Lou Schneider said:

They just completed a new tunnel that will let them continue to get water from Lake Mead (their main water source) even if it falls below the "dead pool" level that no longer lets water pass through Hoover Dam.

Lake Mead Keeps Dropping

Quote

Continuing a 22-year downward trend, water levels in Lake Mead stand at their lowest since April 1937, when the reservoir was still being filled for the first time. As of July 18, 2022, Lake Mead was filled to just 27 percent of capacity.

Quote

Above Lake Mead, Lake Powell is currently filled to just 27 percent of capacity, and the entire Colorado river system stands at 35 percent. 

 

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

            images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQqFswi_bvvojaMvanTWAI

 

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The main reason Lake Mead continues to drop is reduced discharges from Glen Canyon Dam as they try to keep Lake Powell high enough to let the dam continue to generate hydroelectric power.  Both Glen Canyon Dam and Hoover Dam supply significant amounts of power to the Southwest power grid.  Eventually some decisions will have to be made.

Edited by Lou Schneider
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19 hours ago, Lou Schneider said:

Las Vegas has been actively preparing for this for the past 20 years.  They're currently the most water efficient large city in the world

They've been smart.  Have you seen the solar farm just south of Boulder City?  Impressive.. goes on for miles.  Perhaps if the dam becomes inoperable that will at least help keep the lights on.

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