The massive amount of rainfall that occurred at California's Lake Berryessa has caused the state's rivers to overflow.
The 'Morning Glory Spillway,' as it's officially known, is a distinctive, cone-shaped drainage system within Lake Berryessa, which was installed when the lake was formed by building a dam across Putah Creek in 1957.
This 72-foot-wide, funnel-shaped concrete pipe, designed as a spillway, started gushing water this week.
This extraordinary structure, designed to prevent the lake from overflowing, hasn't been activated since 2019, and has attracted the attention of passersby to the artificially created reservoir, situated approximately 70 miles northeast of San Francisco.
The spillway functions as a drainage system to divert excess water from the lake into Putah Creek, located on the opposite side of Monticello Dam.
This "glory hole" spillway, as it is more informally referred to, is a rare occurrence. Only a limited number of such structures exist in the United States, including a smaller one at Whiskeytown National Recreation Area near Shasta, which has also overflowed this week.
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He saw the event on Wednesday morning along with approximately twenty-five others.
Chris Lee, the general manager of the Solano County Water Agency, described it as 'mesmerizing to watch,' commenting, 'It's not something you see often in the world.'
The spillway's distinctive architecture is a result of its site. Situated in a narrow gorge, Lake Berryessa's topography presented challenges in building a dam with a more standard spillway.
The 'glory hole' operates similarly to a bathtub's overflow drain, ensuring the reservoir does not overflow when the water level becomes excessively high.
Although the view is visually striking, the spillway has been opened relatively rarely in recent years, with instances including 2006, 2017, and 2019.
The lake level came to within a hair's breadth of prompting the water release last year.
In 2022, it was concluded by heavy rainfall and also high snowfall levels in some areas.
Jay Cuetara, supervising water resources engineer for the Solano County Water Authority, stated that the blend of two consecutive rainy seasons and the recent heavy downpours ultimately caused the reservoir to surpass its capacity.
"We began the summer with a lake at full capacity, and the following winter brought a series of storms that generated significant runoff, essentially doing it in.'
The Lake Berryessa, formed in 1958 with the construction completion of the Monticello Dam, serves as a critical water supply for the region of Solano County, despite being situated in Napa County.
In addition to its utilitarian purpose, the lake is a popular spot for leisure activities.
Its most iconic feature remains the 'glory hole', with its unusual appearance and dramatic show.
For those looking to experience this sight, Cuetara forecasts the spillway will remain operational through the weekend and is expected to continue for an additional week or two.
Despite the relatively weak water current, local swimmers and sailors are cautioned to steer clear of the spillway when it opens, due to the significant water pressure that builds up at the centre of the waterfall.
In 1997, a woman fell a great distance of hundreds of feet to her death, plummeting down to a small opening, below which a pipe, 8 feet wide, directs water down a stream.
Disturbing visual evidence caught another victim being sucked into the whirlpool by the rising tide in 2019, when a cormorant was swept up.
Brionna Ruff, spokesperson for the Bureau of Reclamation, which owns the spillway, said it is unlikely the cormorant could have survived the extremely hazardous fall.
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When the water level rose that year, it was only the second time in 12 years that the water levels had been sufficient for the phenomenon to occur.
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