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San Roque Dam Breaches Spilling Level, Gates Remain Closed
The water level at San Roque Dam in Pangasinan breached its spilling level on Monday, but the National Power Corp. (NPC) stated all spillway gates remain closed with no plans to open them. Dam managers are closely monitoring the rising water and inflow.
URDANETA CITY, Pangasinan — San Roque Dam’s water level breached its mandatory spilling level on Monday, but the National Power Corp. (NPC) said all spillway gates remain closed and there are no plans to open them. NPC Dam Management Division Manager Teresa Serra reported that the reservoir elevation reached 280.52 meters above sea level (MASL) as of noon, rising at an average rate of 0.17 meter per hour since 8 a.m. Inflow into the dam has climbed to 920.26 cubic meters per second (cms), consisting of releases from Binga Dam and water flowing into tributaries downstream of Binga. The dam’s combined outflow through its turbines and low-level outlet stood at 399.55 cms. Any opening of the spillway would send additional water downstream through the Agno River, putting communities in San Manuel, San Nicolas, Tayug, Asingan, Sta. Maria, Rosales, Villasis, Sto. Tomas, Alcala, Bautista, Bayambang, San Carlos City, Mangatarem, Urbiztondo, Aguilar, Bugallon, Labrador and Lingayen, all in Pangasinan on heightened alert. Rainfall recorded since 8 a.m. on Monday remained relatively light at the dam, with 0.5 millimeter (mm) in San Roque, 7.5 mm in Ampucao and 2.5 mm in Pitican, both in Itogon, Benguet. Despite the reservoir level rising above 280 MASL, the spillway gates have remained closed. Ms. Serra said there are currently no plans to open the spillway gates, although the continuing rise in the reservoir level and high inflow would require close monitoring by dam managers. — Artemio A. Dumlao
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BusinessWorld Nation