Hidroituango Dam Colombia SA UPDATE

[@Paul1958R]

Juan, Thank you for this report. I had not ever heard of this project or the difficulties they were experiencing. Your reporting is concise and thorough as ever. Thank you God bless Paul

[@Paul1958R]

Also I was wondering if you were planning to report about the tragic 737-200 crash in Cuba. I would welcome and trust your expertise in this matter. Thank you Paul

[@elizabethblane201]

I have been at the source of the Río Magdalena; it is such beautiful country. Thanks again, Juan, for your out-of-the-ordinary informational reporting.

[@alejouruena]

Hi, Juan , Excellent explaination, i understood every thing, and thanks for narrate in this way so professional, i designed this video infographic together with my team, thank for used and mentioning our job

[@blancolirio]

Wow! Thanks Alejandro! Good job on the graphics!

[@Paul-td5ib]

Thanks for bringing this situation to your viewers. I was not aware of it. After I watched your report, I went out to some other sources. It seems that there is already some major failures causing massive flooding. I hope the contractor can get this scary scenario under control before a catastrophic failure occurs. As we have seen in other dam breaks, the power of water is formidable. Please keep us updated.

[@antisony2008]

Colombian Geologist here, first of all it's ColOmbia. Thanks everybody for your considerate messages to us, the colombian people, here in Antioquia we are very proud of Hidroituango and other major projects lead by EPM despite of this emergency. As of today, Colombia is not lacking any energy as it is provided mostly by EPM's dams here in Antioquia, nevertheless, Hidroituango is Colombia's hope in order to have a solid power supply for the decades to come. In the other hand, information about Hidroituango is not hard to obtain at all, EPM's twitter account is constantly updating on the situation regarding the height of the dam and that of the water, also EPM CEO Jorge Londoño de la Cuesta is constantly in the news answering any kind of questions. 4:28 the explosives used to blow up the concrete were actually destabilising the hillside as well, that's why EPM aborted that option. 4:40 2 of the turbines were in place. 5:20 the elevation of the spillway is 410 meters above sea level (msnm metros sobre el nivel del mar), the current elevation as of this morning 19th was 405 masl. EPM is working against the clock, they hope to reach 410 for next Monday. The water elevation has been decreasing this last couple of days, current elevation 367masl. 6:05 galeria 284 is one of the tunnels connecting to the turbine room which was used to get stuff in and out, apparently, the water was not able to flow freely through the turbine room so it began to spill out by 'galeria 284'. That represented a serious threat to the earth-fill dam since it could erode it's base. A dam burst scenario was then closer. Fortunately, the water stopped flowing out of galeria 284 last night. Upon inspection, the dam has not suffered major erosion. At this point in time we could assume that most of equipment inside the powerhouse is wasted. The situation has improved but still critical. let's hope EPM reaches the spillway elevation soon edit: typos

[@blancolirio]

Wow! Thanks Antisony!!

[@antisony2008]

you are welcome :) let's hope everything comes out the best way.

[@JohnPValentine]

Thank you for all of the great information. Really hoping for a good turnout...will be so important for Colombia. Do you know why they sealed two of three diversion tunnels before the dam was completed and the spillway was operational? Given what happened, it seems like it would have been better to leave at least some redundancy in the system.

[@iblard]

I have an annoying friend who always said to their Latinamerican friends "It's not Nueva York, it's New York".

[@antisony2008]

The tunnels were sealed "on schedule", the reservoir was going to be filled (under controlled conditions) by june-july this year by taking advantage of the rain season, all i can assume is they sealed the tunnels in order to reduce the outcome (sorry for my english, ain't sure if that's the right word). Actually, the third tunnel, the obstructed one, does have a security by-pass. Unfortunately that bypass got obstructed as well. Looking back at what has happened in May, absolutely, it would have been best to leave the tunnels available. EPM has been a bit overconfident and quite unlucky.

[@bcrazyyeti]

Fascinating. I had not heard anything about this. But, as usual, your report is concise and informative. You always make a clear separation between what is known and what is speculation. You ask good questions, even if we don't yet know the answers. Keep up the good work.

[@colinbyerly5212]

Thank you for your report . Few reports have come forward from reporters here ! A reporter from Florida has just posted that the dam is not expected to last much longer . It was hoped it may be reparable but less than two weeks latter , the tremors at side of dam along mountain due possibly to the expansion of water is a sign of disaster for the largest dam in Columbia . Florida Marquis was reporting on this situation , and many other Latin American issues as Venezuela Colombia and Brazil and Panama .

[@blancolirio]

I believe the dam is ok at the moment, but the appurtenant structure are severely compromised.

[@diegosalazar6151]

To answer some of your questions: 1. Until today, the dam is one meter away to complete the safety height to use the spillway, however, because the dam is more than 500 meters long and more than 225 meters high. It has not been finish. 2. If the water exceeds the dam, the dam could collapse generating an approximate avalanche of more than 24 meters high completely annihilating any communitie that is close to the river. 3. The machine room, which was flooded on purpose, to allow water to flow there, is calculated as a total loss including all electrical and mechanical components. This was necessary to save the dam and the communities near the river. 4. The company responsible for the construction of the dam "EPM" will assume the millionaire costs generated by flooding the engine room. 5. More than 2000 workers are working day and night to meet the minimum height of safety and to use the spillway. Here you can see the magnitude of the dam before the emergency kzbin.info/www/bejne/fHa7oZKeZ6-NgdU

[@David-sq2en]

I think it is... 225 meters high, and they need to take it to some 250 meters... though it is located 450 meters up the mountain over sea level.

[@johnnychang4233]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/jIbNY4CPpJ6Wfas

[@SmittySmithsonite]

Great report! First I've heard of this (I've completely tuned out of mainstream news - I can't take their BS anymore). Now I know exactly what is happening. Thanks again! 👍

[@gonkeyhughes]

Smitty Smithsonite So have i

[@juansebastian647]

its out of control this project the dam has leaks and have 225 meters high. if colapse the river will destroy everything downstream. the governor of Antioquia ordered to relocate a whole town. it's a matter of time .

[@ChrisB257]

Sounds pretty dangerous.... lack of adequate planning it seems with regard to worst-case scenarios. Thx for the report Juan.

[@juansebastian647]

its very very dangerous maybe in the history of the humanity.

[@David-sq2en]

They had appropriated design and planing, but corruption eats it all up, and this is what we got left.

[@sjackson99]

Almost had one of those embarrassing moments. Saw the thumbnail for this video and thought I should send it to Juan. Fortunately I decided to watch it first and there he was. Turned out I was on my subscriptions page. Geez! Thanks for sharing.

[@vernonbrechin4207]

Thank you for this file update. I had almost know knowledge of this problem taking place in Colombia.

[@frantucker608]

As always, complicated information made easy to understand... Thanks so much, Juan!

[@jimdearborn2539]

Time for a PhotoRecon Mission to Columbia in the "Mighty Luscombe'. . . ;-)

[@IdahoPohTaToh]

lol What a ride that would be!!🛫🛬

[@torchandhammer]

Are the DC-3s still flyin' down there?

[@alexandermckay8594]

In Ohio? In Dayton, possibly.

[@gwilespinosa]

It's Colombia not Columbia

[@blancolirio]

Last time I flew to Colombia was a C-130...

[@danielgico]

Our country's name is Colombia. Columbia is in the US

[@blancolirio]

Daniel Giraldo Thanks!

[@danielgico]

Not really. I know there are many Columbias in the US, but I only know the ones related to Washington, New York, the university and the movies :)

[@gordonrichardson2972]

Helps to get the name right when searching for references!

[@sergio1179]

Columbia is in the US? Where?

[@CraigThomas2070]

@blancolirio Thank you very much for filling us in as you can. It is very under reported and I pray that the people are safely out of the path of any danger.

[@dianne11ca]

Thank you, Juan! The dams destruction and aftermath would be such a tragedy for the people of Colombia. I am praying that it all works out, and also for the 4 who were injured when the water was sent through the turbine section.

[@gwilespinosa]

dianne11ca Colombia with O

[@artbatista1]

dianne11ca the dam was not destroyed, there was some damage to the backside of the dam. The videos on KZbin saying the dam failed are obviously from people that can’t read Spanish. Those videos show the aftermath of the obstruction of the power house piping that were being used as emergency release and flooding of the human spaces that then damaged the backside of the dam.

[@dianne11ca]

Arturo Batista Sorry, I meant the potential dam failure, not that it had already failed. Juan made no mention here of it failing already, and I did not word my sentence correctly to indicate that I knew it had not failed. I am praying that it does not.

[@dianne11ca]

elie/// cer Oops! Thank you for the corrected spelling.

[@dianne11ca]

David Bernal Romero Spirit is stronger than flesh, thank God. I am praying for the World. I believe it is in the process of healing itself, and the scourge of evil has begun from the highest, once hidden levels. It is happening all over the world and it will reach Colombia, too. Enough is enough. God, Nature, the Universe, whatever you call it, is taking charge. Sending love to you and yours. I know that a happy outcome is assured for all of us.

[@michaeldougfir9807]

Thank you Juan. I am sorry that one of our southern friends has a proplem such as this. The one thing I can offer, since I saw a reference to it in the graphics, is a slight bit about the hectare. The heactare is a measure of land area that equals 2.47 acres. Most English speaking countries still measure land in acres. Anyway if you have an acre in a square configuration, it is 208.7' (feet) on a side. Though you can have the equivalent 43,560 square feet in other shapes on the land. In metric the acre equals 4,046.87 square meters (M2). (Thanks to the California Forestry Handbook by "Gus" Arvola)

[@ianhawthorn1527]

Not true. ALL English speaking countries except the US now use hectares.

[@michaeldougfir9807]

Ian Hawthorn: Well Ian, technically you are CORRECT. Most or all English speaking countries HAVE gone metric. Either by law or practice. In fact, in Canada, there is SO much resistence to metric, there is an official web site that tries to reenforce the change. After all these years, too. However, I married into an "overseas British" family years ago. And I had thought the same thing about metric. But in all conversations that related to weights and measures of anything, they mixed their verbiage at the very least. This family represented Canada, every part of the UK, Australia, Rhodesia, and Zambia. Then as I read more widely, both on the Web and in print, I noticed they did it there too. In every English country that I happened to connect with. They mixed any and all kinds of measurements, from gallons, liters, yards, kilometers, miles, centimeters, inches and anything else you can think of. The only oddity in all that was the Imperial gallon. That you had to watch for because it is 20% bigger than ours in the U S. Did you see Mr Bean when he painted his flat? Was that an Imperial gallon of paint? It looked rather large to me. (Funny episode!) I don't know what your interests are, Ian, but if you watch enough KZbin, you will see plenty of mixed measurements here as well. From any English speaking country you can name. Granted, it is not all the time, but it may well be a majority of the time. So I am not declaring anything. Just reporting on what I have been shown. Though I am glad to say, this means that most of the younger generations are also conversant in both systems. Last on this, everything I have reported also applies to the majority of the aviation videos I have seen, from Sweden even. And others. So it seems to be a matter of practice. Thank you for chiming in.

[@machintelligence]

Farmers are a pretty conservative bunch. I asked on German farmer how large his field was and he expressed it in tagwerk (day's work) which is a pretty archaic unit.

[@karikaripen2130]

tagwerk, hahaha!　In Japan, farmers use "tan"(about 300 square meters, 1-day work for the best worker).

[@mapesdhs597]

The UK is officially metric, but all road signs and distance markers are stil in miles and yards, land area is normally mentioned in acres, and numerous liquid containers though they may be labelled with a larger font in metric are designed to hold an even number of pints (my favourite is the 4-pint milk carton which has IIRC 2.272 litres in larger writing). Shops find numerous ways to get round the regulations in order to supply what customers actually want. Free market? Nope. I like the idea of a day's work measure, that's kinda cool. 8)

[@danvanf]

Juan is Dam good. All kidding aside, you do a great job of describing these engineering emergencies. It is clear you don't wish to speak without understanding what you're talking about. Sure wish every reporter did that, but of course most of them couldn't land a Piper let alone a triple 7. Great annunciation of the local area! I have no idea if it was correct, but it sure sounded like it was. Keep a smile on, thanks for your hard work.

[@marbleman52]

Wow...What a mess. Ya know what...I know that here in the U.S.A., we often complain about the often times over-the-top rules & regulations that govern just about every aspect of Life in the country, BUT...also, those sometimes excessive rules & regulations do have a positive aspect in regard to building safe structures....such a hydroelectric dams. So...it's the mixture of " good & bad" that we have to put up with. I think that the good more than makes up for the bad. Also, the expertise of our engineers and designers is a very big part of this, too. Oroville Dam is a great example of putting some very smart people ( for the most part..LOL ), in charge of fixing Oroville dam; which could have failed catastrophically and done tremendous damage and loss of life & lively-hood.

[@ebudrow1]

Thanks for the report, I had not heard anything about this from our local media.

[@grandpajim329]

NICE job Juan, didn't know there was projects like this down in that part of the world. Will have to go and google for scenic overview. Thanks and have a wonderful weekend.

[@David-sq2en]

Colombia have at least 2 working dams bigger than any dam in US...

[@Idahoguy10157]

Thanks for the report, Juan. The story was so drown out by the royal wedding I would have missed it if not for your post.

[@rja7420]

Great work Juan! Many stories I learn about first from this channel.

[@Skans-Gustav]

Two diversion tunnels had been plugged with 22metre long concrete plugs which is normal during impounding of a dam. The third and only remaining diversion tunnel apparently failed due to a sinkhole causing the tunnel to be filled with soil and rocks falling down from above. Overtopping should be possible to avoid as there is a spillway near the crest.

[@timcross2510]

I hope you make some money for your excellent job of providing soundly researched and excellent analysis of things people need to know. I appreciate your efforts and wish I wasn't destitute. I would encourage you with recompense.

[@johnm3850]

Thank you Juan for the Hidroituango dam news.

[@pamelaarescurrinaga3295]

Very sad situation for the Colombians. Thank you for reporting on it. Important engineering factors will be learned from this debacle.

[@georgeeverette3912]

I have been trying to follow this situation on other sites. Which is hard since I don't speak Spanish. But, I do know they have the spillway in operation and the water has receded to a level that does not look like it could over top the dam. It would be nice if we could get an update on how they are going to bring the dam on line to recover the expense of it's construction or even if they can.

[@BrilliantDesignOnline]

Juan-Had not even heard of this development; We love your concise and timely reports on these situations, like the FIU bridge. As Paul mentions, would love to hear about the Cuba 737, since all the photos give virtually no info.

[@ivanmontano2470]

Turbines were not installed yet. What we dont know if some interior walls of the turbine section collapsed or if there is an internal damage

[@canadascott1643]

As professional as it gets 👍 thanks for your awesome video's Juan.

[@JohnPValentine]

I was hoping you were going to do a video on the Hidroituango dam! Thanks for another great video and the excellent analysis!

[@nunyubiznezz]

John P. Valentine I wonder how related we are? My grand dad was John Kendall Valentine. He was a pioneer in Spokane when it was still Spokane-Falls. The red hair is right. Do you have any family names like Flynn, Bell, Cannon or Chance !?!!

[@JohnPValentine]

Nunyu Biznezz That’s cool. Maybe...going way back? My Valentine ancestors left Eccles, England (Manchester) around 1640 and ended up in New Amsterdam (Long Island, NY). We’ve been in New York State since, but maybe some other Valentines went west! I’ll ask my sister who is into genealogy!

[@nunyubiznezz]

John P. Valentine Grandma told me we were on the Mayflower, so that amazing 1640 date is right on the beam. I just ordered a MyHeritage DNA kit. Have you done that yet? Oh yeah...Joseph Gurney CANNON was my g-Grand Uncle ... ask if that's a hit!

[@JohnPValentine]

Nunyu Biznezz Got a chance to talk to my sister finally. The farthest west she knows that our branch of Valentines got was Terre Haute...so likely another branch of a big family. There was a lot of marrying in with Mayflower families on our side...small world back then. My sister and Dad did the National Geographic DNA kits. It’s interesting and worth doing. Good luck with your research!

[@gizmogoose.2486]

THANK YOU. _Later On Cuz !_ _(Nunyu Biznezz is my smart phone login name)_

[@tetoffense7659]

Thanks for the vid. That was quick. Was wondering if it is common to have pipe diversions. It seems most dam constructions in the US dug around, or at least what I've seen from old videos and pictures. I can't wrap my head around why they closed the other pipes before completion. I like the idea of hydroelectric plants in terms of renewable energy, especially where there is little initial impact like this location.

[@javierkant]

Además de la corrupción que se está empezando a descubrir en la concesión de contratos en Hidroituango, los errores de diseño y planeación en la Ingeniería del proyecto, por fin empiezan a salir a la luz y sin embargo, se siguen desestimando. Los "expertos" hablan de la geología del proyecto, pero se niegan sistemáticamente a precisarla. Una presa tipo "Enrocado", que es la que se construyó en HidroItuango, jamás, entiéndase bien, jamás, debe ser sobrepasada en su cresta por una creciente o "tsunami", porque la destruiría inmediatamente. ¿Que pasó con el estudio geológico aguas arriba en el valle que iba a ser inundado? Este debió ser exhaustivo y no haberse reducido a simples apiques de análisis de suelos a poca profundidad. A estas horas es irresponsable que se esté hablando en Colombia de incertidumbre en la estabilidad de los taludes en el valle aguas arriba, cuando precisamente lo que indica un estudio a profundidad de ingeniería geológica, es como se van a comportar las masas de tierra en el proyecto, específicamente, aledañas al cause del río y no en "tiempos geológicos", sino en tiempos reales de la vida útil del proyecto.

[@blancolirio]

Gracias Javier!! Exactamente!

[@andrewskater8813]

As of 20th June leaks through the dam are significantly reduced. The aux diversion system and the right diversion channel are still open, flows are stable, a study is planned by a drilling firm to inject concrete

[@jeffbangkok]

Whew..need another cup of coffee at 5 AM to wrap my mind around this

[@timothkeyyprice]

Thanks. Been following Florida Marquis on KZbin about this.

[@lawrencehaguewood5857]

Can but hope events work out. Thank you for such accurate info once again sir.

[@andrewskater8813]

As of the 5th of June. There are two small leaks in the dam of less than 35l per second with clean flow of water. They are/will inject bentonite clay for that. Slow 1cm per hour landslides continue. Diversion tunnel still open.

[@agalepuez563]

If there are no gates on the bypass channels, how are they going to flush out the silt in the lake behind the dam? Just last week I traveled over the Rio Cauca at Pintada, which is upstream from the dam. The water level was high, was very fast moving, and full of brown silt. Because the heavy rains causing landslides all along the road, the bus ride from Manizales to Medellin took 8 hours instead of the usual 5 hours. All along the road, there were work crews clearing debris or fixing the road. In some places, mountain sides previously secured by steel and concrete came crashing down.

[@gasworksend4blues]

Land slide has speed up today to 10 mm per day, this has lead to an evacuation of workers in parts of the dam, plus the two leeks at the base have also increased, they are not sure were this flow is coming from e.g. from under the dam or flow from elsewhere. Also bad weather (heavy rain is forecast) this can only add to the problems at dam.

[@andrewskater8813]

The damaged/collapsed right deviation tunnel is still not sealed as of 28th may. Water flow through it spontaneously restarted on the 21st of May and was described as moderate.

[@dandavenport449]

Juan: Picked up a screw in one of my tires and Les Schwab fixed it this morning. Took the guy an hour for free. Jenny could have done it in 10 minutes!! That was a great video!

[@chriholt]

Thanks for this Juan, I had no idea. A friend of mine is from Colombia, I’ll have to ask her if her family is affected at all.

[@Truckee-td5ud]

Wow, what a mess! Juan, as usual you have delivered an awesome video! Excellent job Mr. Brown. Until next time, Adios Amigo! 👍🏻👍🏻✌🏻

[@davidsill153]

July 4 Red alert still in effect due to landslides nearby with some communities isolated by covered roads. Bogata Times (English). Video indicates they are currently using the powerhouse as a spillway and maintaining a decent lake level well below the spillway.

[@hectorfabioperezsandoval8254]

Es un problema muy grave el que se presenta actualmente,hubo derrumbe de un túnel,el cual era el que permitía el desvío del caudal del río Cauca,la presa aún no está terminada y el peligro latente es su derrumbe.

[@jjj8317]

The main problem in the Damn is the rain season. The river is very powerful as well. There was a lot of talk in country about the project because Gustavo Petro a socialist who wants to become president tomorrow is not well like in the region of Antioquia and he began criticizing EPM. The public works company of Medellin that provides electricity and transport for the city of Medellin and it is very efficient in general. For us who are from Antioquia the project would be a success and we are working hard to finish the project. We support the workers and our major. I believe the project is going to get done and we will become energy independent.

[@David-sq2en]

Rain season is starting in 2 or so months...

[@blipco5]

Slight clarification...Even before Oroville, it was well established that if you run water over dirt, the dirt washes away. So why dam builders designed this feature into Oroville, I'll never understand. I realize that the Brazil Dam is not yet complete. Who is the GC?

[@chenolean46]

Nice job, thanks for doing this report !

[@longlakeshore]

Diversion tunnels are designed to handle silt loads. Extra rainfall cannot be helped. I wonder if the clogging problem is linked primarily to the logging of trees in the reservoir area which is standard practice. Any logged or free-fallen trees left on the ground in the floodway could easily be swept downstream into the diversion tunnels. Perhaps they neglected to keep these upstream areas as clear of this material as possible.

[@ziggy2shus624]

IMO the diversion tunnels should never be sealed until the basic structure of an earthen dam is finished and the emergency spillways are operational (if needed). Sealing off the diversion tunnels early gains a year of electric generation, but at the risk of losing the entire dam, and the risk is not worth the reward.

[@blancolirio]

I agree!

[@czamman]

Love your work Juan... just one thing that might upset natives.... it's Colombia, Columbia is the Italian spelling lol. Keep up the great work

[@blancolirio]

fixed it!

[@czamman]

GABIEL MANCUSI, grow up! Btw proper names start with a capital letter. Thanks again Juan for the correction, keep up the great work.

[@Bigolg1975]

The company I work for is going down there to clear out the diversion tunnels.

[@blancolirio]

Dangerous work!

[@jmumbauer]

Juan, thanks for these great videos and your expertise. Can you also do a video on the Mosul Dam in Iraq?

[@federicogonzalez1371]

Hi Juan Blancolirio I have the answers for the information you didn't find. First of all, there were 3 tunnels, two of them are medium sized tunnels and another one that is located in a different place is substantially bigger than the other two, the smaller ones were filled with concrete plugs (25meters of concrete) some weeks ago as it was planned from the very beginning as the dam was just going to start being filled in June so that this last weeks the water was supposed to flow through the biggest tunnel which was going to be closed with a mechanic door installed to be opened in case of emergency while the two other tunnels are going to stay closed forever. What happened is that a huge storm apparently brought some trees (part of the cleaning project of the surroundings that are going to be drowned) and plugged the only tunnel available for the water to flow, the worst part is that due to the pressure in the plugged tunnel the mountain collapsed into the tunnel and plugged it completely. Then they tried to unplug the other two tunnels as you try to explain but they were just able to remove 7 meters of the 25 meters of the concrete plug and the water level was increasing rapidly so then is when they have to make the decision of passing the water through the machines room where the turbines were just being installed. Right now the water should flow through the spillway which is ready for that but the level of the construction is just slightly above the spillway level so it still represents a risk, the water level is still 30m under the construction level and the construction should be reaching it's maximum level (6meters more) by Tuesday.

[@blancolirio]

Excellent! Thanks Federico!

[@alejandroarango9691]

Thanks Juan... I finally understand!

[@JETWTF]

If the turbines were not in place then it is simply a matter of hosing everything off to remove mud and letting it dry. If the turbines were in place then it is replacing or repairing them and anything they were connected to. The damaged components can be repaired inside the facility even if the large parts like the impeller blades or generator housing cannot be brought outside the facility. As for the interior spaces the mud and debris can be removed through manual labor and all being made from concrete would be just as structurally sound after. Cables and electrical components can be replaced. Rebuilt? No. Repaired? Yes. It isn't a total loss unless the whole dam fails. hopefully it doesn't.

[@shexdensmore]

Have you been keeping up to date on the Kilauea fissure eruptions in Hawaii? I'm curios if any of the ash eruptions that made it to 30,000ft has or will affect air traffic over the Pacific? And if so, how?

[@ianclapham6990]

Thanks Juan for your great continued coverage

[@dougankrum3328]

Can you briefly explain why it's not a good idea to run water through a turbine that is off-line...? I've looked around the 'net a little, but no answer to my question. I've worked in a couple power plants but no hydro. Mostly Steam/Diesel powered. Sacramento/Woodland area. Thanks for another great video ...!

[@andrewskater8813]

The electrical load on the turbine is used to regulate the speed of the turbine and prevent turbine damage

[@blancolirio]

Ruins the bearings, now way to control the speed.

[@dougankrum3328]

OK, sounds about right, I figured maybe the electrical load was used to help control the turbine speed, which is required to be constant.

[@dougankrum3328]

Thanks, I thought that was the situation..

[@Shabbir27101965]

• Key issues & reforms for the Dam Sites : 1. Emergency Spillway System Construct somewhere behind the upstream area must be first priority to meet such kind of happened, easily escaping from high flood situations. 2. The Diversion Tunnels as per design criteria round shape Complete before the heavy Rains & flood periods to bear the impacts of Static and other relevant forces like Sliding’s, Cracks, Sink Holes & settlements. 3. The Project sites need to be add in provision of specific Cofferdams to controlling the water potential of upstream areas and not passing towards the Dam side, especially protecting form the Leakages. 4. The Storage Capability in the Reservoir as per depend upon the Geological Site Condition of Soil and Rock Bedding Joint formation Strata like Horizontal, Vertical or inclined Shapes & (Earth Works States, Earthquakes, Hydrology, previous disasters in 10 years) and Drilling Blasting’s during in 5 years (Fracture areas of right Banks, Left Banks also near Structures Zones + other Week portions need to address) 5. Reviews must be considering as per Site Conditions of design criteria during the Construction execution stages.

[@eldiablooooo]

Hi great video! I've been following the story with interest. Do you have any news on the dam? Keep up the good content 😊

[@lynnchastain8224]

Prayers for Columbia and its people

[@gwilespinosa]

Lynn Chastain Colombia

[@hedidit5698]

IS N'T THIS CARTEL COUNTRY????

[@mapesdhs597]

I'm sure the cartels are in no way involved, no back handers have taken place, no resources or funds misappropriated, no bribes paid or rules broken, no materials replaced with inferior options and profits pocketed, no financial connections between the company and politicians... :} And prayers don't work, such notions are just placebo. Medical trials showed patients only gained if they knew the acts were taking place, but also gained if told as much when they weren't. Placebo is powerful, but it and hope are not a substitute for reason, analysis, evidence, sensible arguments, investigation, a proper plan and suitable action. This may offend some, but facts don't care about feelings. If people want to do something constructive, they should ask for pressure to be applied for a proper investigation, learn relevant lessons, etc.

[@David-sq2en]

Please don't pray... faith can move mountains and that will make the situation worse.

[@mapesdhs597]

David, that properly made me laugh. :D

[@TheDutchSoupPissingCompany]

Much appreciated Juan!

[@andresaristi5646]

Something to clarify, there is 3 diversion tunnels, two of those where sealed prematurely due to a bad decision (apparently to save some time) the third tunnel collapsed as you said. At the Medellín's mayor IG account you can watch some progress of the dam. instagram.com/p/BjBTRiVjOlR/

[@RealJingy]

Thank you very much, sir!! Wow!! They got a big problem down in Columbia!!!

[@David-sq2en]

They did closed up the 2 diversion tunnels that where handling the river... they opened the the gates of the middle tunnel to evacuate the water at that level while they finish the construction, but this tunnel was badly built and it did not handle the water so levels keep getting up as this tunnel collapses and clear and collapses again... they decided to use the machinery house as another diversion tunnel... it is my understanding that the turbines where already in place... this tunnel also started the cycles of collapsing and clearing... then the water made it to a transportation tunnel used to get workers and materials to the construction site. It have not collapsed yet, though it have cracks and leaks. The side of the mountain that have the tunnels is getting eroded from inside and at risk of collapsing. And the concrete curtain appears to be separating from that side, creating several leaks on the side and the bottom of the dam. They claim that they just finished the spillways, but it is above the level of the dam, they need to raise it up several meters, though it probably will not support the water pressure anyway. The worst case scenario as of today, is that a landslide off the mountain will produce a wave that might collapse the concrete curtain, releasing all the water at ones. Rain season have not started yet... that will come in full in 2 or so months. I don't know how much of this electricity was going to supply Colombia, as far as I can tell most of it was already sold to Central America countries. Empresas Publicas de Medellin is actually a private corporation. There have being more than 60 massacres related to the construction of this dam, plus all the kills of community leaders/members that are denouncing the danger this failed project is representing to the whole community.

[@jidelk]

Well, I know nothing about dams but I still don't get why those first 2 diversion tunnels were sealed before the project was finished. Yes, the third tunnel was doing the job but you should leave them open "just in case". If those tunnels could be used, EPM wouldn't had to let the water run through the unfinished turbine house, lose all that equipment and jeopardize the entire project.

[@blancolirio]

Elkin Jiménez yes!

[@tanselyilmaz5387]

SOLUTION TO EVACACUATE FLOOD WATER : Lay 6 items of 20 inches pipe (length should be half the dam heeeight at least) starting from upstream as submerged and then climbing up to crest and then all the way down along th spillway of which the crest level is higher than the dam crest . Put a one way valve valve in the pipe on the spillway crest. Suck water from upstream. Close the valve. An then go to furthest downtream pipe outlet where there is a valve closed. Open it and watch the siphon. Initial sucking of water from upstream shall be done by a pump having 10 inch hose dropped till to the outlet of the 20 inches PE pipe submerged outlet section. Or do this with whatevr diameter you have in hand maybe you have 300 mm PE pipe. If you do the same on dam crest you can later use these siphon pipes as a SHP and produce electricity even from floods. Best, Tansel YılmazDam Engineer

[@sprusedgoose162]

By any chance were you at the Columbia airport yesterday? I saw a plane that kind of looked exsactley like yours!!

[@blancolirio]

Yep! Luscombe Fly In!

[@Khamomil]

Murphy's law working with a vengence here. Pity the poor people who lost everything of the little they owned.

[@frank4687]

The situation seems to be normalizing. At this moment there is a team of 4000 workers 24/7 culminating the top of the dam. Today, Saturday May 19, level 405 was reached, it is required to reach level 410 to guarantee the evacuation of the dammed water without putting the dam at risk. It is expected that by the middle of the other week this milestone will be realized. There have been a couple of days with less rainfall so the flow of entrance to the reservoir decreased from 2300 m3/s to 1700 m3/s. From the turbine house, is evacuating a flow of 2000 m3/s ...this is a favorable differential that has allowed to lower almost one meter the level of water reservoir. We are in a race against the clock, but with some luck and with the help of God, the situation can be overcome. Serious investigations are coming because the decision to plug the diversion tunnels obeyed a monetary interest to win a couple of months in the schedule and start generating energy from this year.

[@juananmartinez1982]

DAMn-it!ColUmbia with U are places in United States, UK or Australia.ColOmbia with O is a sovereign country in South America.Juan is Juan in USA and John is John in Colombia.

[@bytheseaaspirinshop801]

It's January 2019. I can't find current information online about this. A lot of what is on the web sounds biased. Do you have anything new?

[@blancolirio]

Not really, the Dam is up to height and they can begin using the spillway.

[@__WJK__]

Well done... especially like the absence of sensationalism and click-bait!

[@morningwood727]

it's not even mentioned on the news

[@georgeeverette3912]

It would seem their only hope is to finish the dam spillway before it is over topped. If the crews work around the clock can it be done or is this going to be a slow train wreck. I'm sure a good engineer on site could tell us if their politicians would let him.

[@georgeeverette3912]

Here are some good graphics: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rqDNeoGimrKNo80

[@georgeeverette3912]

I think this is a view of the destruction of the turbine room when they attempted to relieve the pressure through it. Blancolirio, you were right. This is going to be a total loss. kzbin.info/www/bejne/rmmUaYWEoapsiLc

[@georgeeverette3912]

This vid was made before the disaster but shows the scale of the work, especially the inside the tunnels. Warning, you might want to turn of the sound. The musical scale is oppressive... kzbin.info/www/bejne/f4jbaKyar9F3bs0

[@tohopes]

If you look up "Casa De Máquinas Hidroeléctrica Ituango" on Google Maps, you can see a bunch of photos and videos of the construction site that people have uploaded.

[@nashguy207]

thanks for sharing.

[@maynardriley2715]

News and satellite images available (also prior articles) from the Landslide Blog at blogs dot agu dot org. By now the dam crest has been constructed to the elevation of the gated spillway, thereby now allowing its use. There remains concern that having already used the unconnected hydro station as a diversion tunnel in order to lower the reservoir lest it overtop the dam itself (only now constructed up to only the level of the gated spillway) , it may have been ruined. Additional geologic stability concerns are still being reviewed, including the possibility of a large landslide dropping into the reservoir.

[@JohnPValentine]

Some good news? EPM released a statement this afternoon saying they achieved a dam height of 405 meters today and expect to get to 410 by Monday afternoon, at which point they can release water through spillway. It must be an earthen dam if they are making progress that quickly. There’s a picture with this story showing that the water is getting close to the level of the spillway gates. They must have blown the power plant as a last resort to keep the water from topping the dam. m.eltiempo.com/colombia/medellin/cota-de-la-presa-de-hidroituango-llego-a-405-este-sabado-219576 Edits for typos

[@notjamesstockdale3563]

Are the jump cuts where you cut out burps?

[@blancolirio]

Yep, and all the errsss and uhhhs and do overs...

[@artbatista1]

Reading further, there was an initial collapse that partially plugged the tunnel. Water pressure and erosion cleared the tunnel, but then there was a second massive collapse that closed the tunnel beyond hope. From the tone of the report from the engineers, I get the sense that they are hoping for the best, and seems little though was given to actual engineering. More to follow. m.elcolombiano.com/antioquia/hidroituango-presento-un-nuevo-derrumbe-XC8631321

[@GMCShazamataz]

3:36 Qué pasó en Hidroituango | Noticias Caracol Noticias Caracol Look up this video. If you can speek Spanish you will be fine. Very good animation and description with some live footage. Very bad situation.

[@prjndigo]

Rule of thumb, build the largest diversion tunnel you can and don't build dams where you can't control debris from the filling tributaries.

[@MrGTO-ze7vb]

Building a hydro electric damn in a rain forest needs better planning and lots of concrete and rebar. The engineers really screwed the pooch on this one..!!

[@lawrencehaguewood5857]

Since there has been no update I’m going to believe the serious danger has been avoided.

[@blancolirio]

I've been out of town, situation still critical...

[@lawrencehaguewood5857]

blancolirio Hope you will be able to update when opportunity permits. 🤭

[@jessemueller4100]

You planning an update video?

[@blancolirio]

I probably should...

[@robcordova21]

@@blancolirio Have you made an updated video

[@artbatista1]

By the way, financing for this project includes a $1 billion loan from the USA, 50 million from China, 36% from sources in Colombia, the rest from international banks, mostly European..

[@rpp9961]

hello blancolirio , did not see you from oroville time .

[@planotexas9317]

Let’s try to find some footage of the maquinas house after they flooded

[@gdrivers1]

Any up dates as i can find nothing on this project ?

[@pjmoran42]

How did they manage to clean some parts of the D tunnel? That's a suicide mission to work in those while they're operating. How did the folks get injured in the work?

[@blancolirio]

pjmoran42 expolsives!!

[@FXPips11]

Thanks,

[@bepositivee9874]

New camera? looking good

[@scotts7017]

1st Comment. Thanks Juan I wasn’t aware of this.

[@2010gtoner]

Here we go again. great vid.

[@dumbo1973]

Tengo una pregunta, que debe ser respondida con toda la seriedad que este desastre amerita: En el supuesto y Dios quiera, negado caso, que la represa ceda y se venga abajo, como van a responderle Alvaro Uríbe Vélez e Ivan Duque, a los millares de familiares, que sufrirán perdidas de vidas, por su torpe y negligente insistencia en seguir con esa "Agonía del Difunto"?