"Tim+" wrote in message
...
Roland Perry wrote:
In message , at 21:17:49 on Tue, 6 Aug 2019,
NY remarked:

The one thing I've not seen mentioned anywhere is whether they have
been emptying the reservoir by the normal route (valves draining into
canal system) in addition to the much-publicised pumping operation. I
presume they have, but it's not (that I've seen) been mentioned.

Exactly. Have they decided not to, or has it just escaped the attention
of the civilian press?

Well it would beggar belief if they *havent* opened the normal drain
valves but I imagine that theyre not designed to empty a reservoir
quickly. After all, if you have a working spillway why would you need a
humongous drain valve?

A little way up the thread, someone posted a link to an article in which
various experts in the field of dams discussed the Whaley Bridge problem.
One of them mentioned that the drain valves had been replaced a while ago
with ones that were designed to perform a rapid evacuation of the reservoir
if needed.