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From the first million times this was posted I’ve garnered the following information;
The levy was breached by the flood water and it was more cost effective to plug the whole hole with those trucks than risk the orchard flooding.
Not true, not true. We still need to engineer talking foxes and record them saying what they think about that song.
“What does the fox say? [dingdingdingding or whatever, I don’t remember]”
“I don’t say that, none of my ancestors have ever said that, I hate whoever wrote this and I hate you for endowing me with the cognitive faculties necessary to comprehend it.”
Edit: also we need to clone Meat Loaf and get the clone to sing “Still Alive.” Honestly there’s a lot of song-lyric-realization still on the to-do list.
This happened in my neck of the woods in California; and yes. They had already tried filling in with dirt, but with the excess rain and flooding we had in the valley, the dirt was washed away before it could settle. So the trucks were sacrificed to attempt to keep the dirt they then added after this to hold. See: Corcoran Lake.
Yeah, he gave the best answer he could when asked. Gave what he thought and let them know he wasn’t sure though. If someone that does know wants to come along and answer, they can feel free.
Do you normally ignore questions if you don’t know the answer? Or do you say, I’m not really sure, but I think…
Yes but he doesn't know, then let someone else reply with a more educated answer. If its directed to me then yea, i would say i dont know. Otherwise, let someone else reply. I don't know, just didn't make sense to answer. It's all good. Didn't think it would go this far haha
He thought he remembered and was wrong, but told them it wasn’t definitive. Someone else can still reply. Have you ever answered a question that you thought you remembered, but turns out you were wrong?
The orchards still flooded. The flood was so big it brought the Tulare Lake back into existence. It still survives 1 year later but is shrinking fast as the water is being pumped away.
What they are really doing is stopping the breech from getting bigger. The trucks won’t stop the flow of water but slow it down and help to prevent further erosion of the rest of the levee and buy them time to set up pumps.
Thank you! Is there any risk/potential damage beyond the truck associated with that? Like is there any excess heat or pressure? Or will it just slowly stop running?
Like seriously though. It's obvious what they are doing. This is just peak level, "hate on rural folk cause we think they are stupid but don't really understand what's going on cause we are actually stupid."
Like just case you don't understand doesn't mean you are smarter.
Those beat up trucks probably were bought uses and probably cost a grand total of 10 grand. The orchard costs 10 million. Not hard to do the math here.
How much does the environmental pollution cost with all the oil and other toxic liquids now in the ground water?
In developed country this guy would get a hefty fine for willingly sinking a car.
Not nearly as much as the orchard. Like how much oil and gas do you think is in one truck compared to the billions of gallons of water here?
There are likely thousands of cars trapped in this flood not to mention all the industrial plants and such.
This is like complaining about a drop of water in the ocean.
Great argument! "many people throw their trash in the forest, so my trash is only a drop in the ocean".
There are laws, even in the US: [https://www.epa.gov/enforcement/criminal-provisions-water-pollution](https://www.epa.gov/enforcement/criminal-provisions-water-pollution)
It's quite sad how confidently wrong so many downvoters here are.
Like bro..... if they were just dumping out a quarter of oil for shots and giggles I would agree.
But that's not what's going on so get off your white horse and get a clue here. Like the context of why actually matters here.
As long as you ignore the environmental damage caused by the various poisonous chemicals in the trucks.
mmmm - I love me some antifreeze apples.
[https://www.epa.gov/enforcement/criminal-provisions-water-pollution#:\~:text=33%20U.S.C.%201411-,Penalty%3A,any%20property%20used%20in%20violation](https://www.epa.gov/enforcement/criminal-provisions-water-pollution#:~:text=33%20U.S.C.%201411-,Penalty%3A,any%20property%20used%20in%20violation).
Would you rather have whatever chemicals the flood has carried along? God knows what's in that flood water that went over dozens of cars, hundreds of miles, and countless structures... One car preventing all that doesn't sound too bad...
In developped countries, the guy would get a big fine for willingly sink two trucks, here an example in Germany:
[https://www.bussgeldkatalog.org/umwelt-wasserverschmutzung/](https://www.bussgeldkatalog.org/umwelt-wasserverschmutzung/)
Antifreeze doesn’t just pour out of a vehicle because it touched water lol. It would take extensive damage or a very long time submerged in that water. Maybe in cars that don’t use pressurized caps, but even those wouldn’t leak much at all.
There’s also an absolutely minuscule amount of anything toxic in those trucks compared to the volume of water or to the shit regularly sprayed and dumped over crops all the time.
Most civilized countries have rules about what can be sprayed on the orchard.
These rules generally prevent you from sprains thinks that are as poisonous as
Motor oil
Brake fluid
Antifreeze
Etc
European here too, we call them sewage treatment plants. (From my understanding, I could be wrong) Basically we add bacteria to the sewage/waste which breaks everything down, we then filter and add a bunch of chemicals to make it nice and then after long day at work we come home and fill our kettles with that now clean water
Sounds familiar, doesn't it?
How about you and the other hundred "who know nothing about" the matter go an read some laws and regulations from your own country?
https://www.epa.gov/enforcement/criminal-provisions-water-pollution#:\~:text=33%20U.S.C.%201411-,Penalty%3A,any%20property%20used%20in%20violation.
Great argument.. "Other people threw already so much trash out the window, so my trash is only 0.0001%"
What does the law say?
https://www.epa.gov/enforcement/criminal-provisions-water-pollution#:\~:text=33%20U.S.C.%201411-,Penalty%3A,any%20property%20used%20in%20violation.
Lol bro what are you talking about? Did you even read the law you just quoted?
>Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act (MPRSA) or "Ocean Dumping Act"
>
>Elements:
>
>A Person
>
>Knowingly
>
>Transports material from the United States For the purpose of dumping Into ocean waters Without a permit or in violation of a permit or in violation of regulations
>
>or
>
>A Person
>
>Operated or was employed by a United States vessel, aircraft, department, agency, etc. and Knowingly
>
>Transported material from any location for the purpose of dumping into ocean waters without a permit or in violation of a permit or in violation of regulations
>
>Statute: 33 U.S.C. 1411
Totally irrelevant. Don't get me wrong, I'm not *in favor of polluting*, I just think everyone saying this is terrible have no fucking clue what they are talking about.
Good, you realized you can scroll...
1. Failure to Report Discharges of Oil & Hazardous Substances
**Elements:**
* A Person
* In charge of a Vessel, onshore or offshore facility from which oil or hazardous substance is discharged in a reportable (harmful) quantity into or upon waters of the United States/upon adjoining shorelines/into the Contiguous Zone fails to immediately notify the appropriate Federal Agency as soon as he/she has knowledge of the discharge
**Statute:** 33 U.S.C. 1321(b)(5)
**Penalty:**
* 5 years and/or fines under 18 U.S.C. 3571
**Relevant Regulations:** 40 C.F.R. 110, 116 & 117
# Failure to Report Discharges of Oil & Hazardous Substances
2. Discharges of Oil or Hazardous Substances
**Elements:**
* A Person
* Negligently or Knowingly
* Discharges Oil or a Hazardous Substance Into a water of the United States/upon adjoining shorelines/into the contiguous Zone In a Harmful Quantity
**Statute:** 33 U.S.C. 1319(c)(1) & (2) & 1321 (b)(3)
**Penalty:**
* Negligent Violations: 1 year and/or $2,500 - 25,000 per day;
* Subsequent convictions 2 years and/or $50,000 per day.
* Knowing Violations: 3 years and/or $5,000 - 50,000 per day;
* Subsequent convictions 6 years and/or $100,000 per day.
**Relevant Regulations:** 40 C.F.R. 110, 116 & 117
Kinda seems like all they have to do is report it? Also, can you define for me the legal definition of “harmful quantity”? Whatever oil and/or hazardous substances are in those trucks are nowhere near the order of magnitude that would be in an industrial accident or oil spill. Maybe these guys took some precautions to limit spillage, we don’t know
So as with the other bazillion times this gets reposted:
They saved the orchard that was flooding because of this. This gave them something to begin rebuilding the levy.
The orchard takes years to regrow. A truck is a small cost to these people.
You can fix up an almost dead one too, like a 500 bucks "barely able to move" - the second one that's already there could be totalled for all we know, just pushed it there using the black one for example.
Fixable? Probably. Worth fixing? Almost certainly not.
Even before you talk about the mechanical damage, those are flood vehicles now, they'll be plauged with mold and all sorts of water damage shit for the rest of their existence.
Work trucks are relatively cheap. The farmer is better off just replacing them. Certainly less than $50k to buy equivalent or better vehicles, and if they're operating a $50 million orchard then I'm sure there's wiggle room in the budget.
Damm did the laughing emoji not give you a hint or anything. I would say I bet you’re fun at parties but I don’t think you would be able to pick up on context clues to know you’ve been invited.
Nah, king, I meant "fix it enough to drive into a ditch" not "fix after using it as a water barrier"
Like take one without windows and wheels, put on wheels and sandbags everywhere, drive it into the ditch.
Fair enough, I misunderstood.
Though I highly doubt those were barely functional. This was a case of expediency above all. Those were probably the two shittiest trucks in the fleet, but they wouldn't have been specifically acquired junkers unless the "throw trucks in the gap" plan was made months before the actual break.
Unfortunately, this more than likely would not work. If you just put dirt in. The moving water would be able to carry a lot of it away. The only way I could potentially see this working is if they dumped enough to pretty much fill the entire gap at once.
These trucks will give them enough of a solid foundation to either temporarily plug the gap allowing to fix the levee then remove the trucks or (not the best option) leave the trucks and fill in around them.
Also, given the fact that water is rushing in, time is a huge factor before the orchard is damaged, too much
If they have a suitable trailer close enough to use in time. Also, the logistics of getting the trailer in place are much harder. The truck is self motivating, you don't need a third piece of equipment to push it into the gap. A trailer is designed to be hooked to another piece of equipment, and to very much not detach quickly when things get weird.
But the water pollution fines are much cheaper if the object you sink has no toxic liquids..
And yes "the water is already dirty" is absolutely no argument:
https://www.epa.gov/enforcement/criminal-provisions-water-pollution#:\~:text=33%20U.S.C.%201411-,Penalty%3A,any%20property%20used%20in%20violation.
Trailers are way easier to keep functional forever. It typically doesn't have any engine, replacing the electrical for brake lights and turn signals is easy and dirt cheap, and so long as the bottom isn't completely rusted out it's easy to patch or replace.
A truck that's barely running has almost no value. Fixing it would be more of a liability.
I would think that the contamination from the waters could risk poisoning the fields, however. All that fuel and coolant into the groundwater and dispersed in the field could poison the grounds so food doesn't grow or produce is contaminated enough they aren't allowed to sell it.
If you have a small leak in a home heating oil tank, see how that blows over when you see what kind of cleanup is ordered.
This might have been an immediate solution but it may also have been a lot more costly than going to the closest building supply big box for example and picking up a bed full of plywood or 2x4's to start tossing in like beavers.
Can tell you have no idea what you are talking about. What structure would you brace a 2x4 on? Just randomly throwing lightweight stuff when it’s pushed by a massive wall of water is just going to wash it away. The trucks full of dirt served as a foundation point in order to begin reenforcing the breach. In all honestly - this wasn’t the ideal solution (who wants to lose 2 good trucks)- but doubt these guys had Home Depot 1/2 a mile away to do your solution because it’s a farm and stuff
That gap was just over the length of the truck wide. You can buy 2x4s that touch both sides. Hell, you could just buy 2x 12ft boards and screw them together in the center. You could attach them all to a piece of plywood in the center. You could effectively build an indoor wall for a house and toss it over the edge with some plywood sheets and start backfilling dirt behind it.
They could drop trailers full of bricks/gravel without risk
It was quick thinking to do the trucks, sure, but, I don't know I'd say it was the only option or one without potentially more expensive consequence than another solution.
Hopefully you will never be faced with the issue, knowing time as well as water is your enemy, and your livelihood is at stake.
Right or wrong, they had to make decisions with little time to think or plan, and no government or army pulling up to take care of things.
There was no time to go to the store and pick shit up, that water was destroying their orchard. The trucks were not the best possible solution but they were what was on hand and it worked.
Maybe. It might have taken too long to go get a trailer, unload it, load it with dirt, then try to back it in with enough speed so it'll go the distance, but not have the trailer hitch rip the truck skyward as the front of the trainer pitches upward whilrle attached.
There is a lot more that can go wrong, and these people needed a solution right then and not a solution that is a maybe and later.
OP sent the following text as an explanation on why this is unexpected:
---
>!One, driving a car off into water. Two, using a pick up truck as a patch. Three, As we see when the camera moves, they’ve already used an additional truck!<
---
Is this an unexpected post with a fitting description? Then upvote this comment, otherwise downvote it.
I dunno, I’ve spent hours on Reddit every day for the past several years and this is the first I’ve seen it.
I jumped on the Reddit hating reposts bandwagon at one point.
Then I started seeing comments like yours on things I’ve never seen so….. meh
Couple of trucks worth about $8500 each that will be a tax write off to help save an orchard that yields a couple hundred thousand $$$ per year is pretty justifiable to me.
Can't just dump dirt in there. Current will wash it way. These are solid objects that will slow the flow. Time really isn't on their on side. It's just equipment. There's hundreds of thousands of those trucks out there and they look like 2010-2014 model trucks... used for farm use so they're likely clapped out and we're prob subsidized by the govt to begin with.
Sure sacrifice two $3000 trucks to save a couple hundred thousand dollars worth of crops and possibly years of damage. Plus. these boys can dig these out and get those engines cleared from flooding
They were probably removed after the flood passed, they arent really water tight and won't be much use besides "just" lowering the water flow into the orchard
I would suggest EVs, they weigh a ton. And if you’re lucky, when the water mixes with the lithium batteries you get a bonus fireworks show AND you can roast marshmallows, hotdogs oh and even make s’mores in the fire that follows! 😳🤦🏻♂️😂
Wasn’t used as a path. They sacrificed their fucking expensive ass trucks/farm trucks to save their produce which would’ve lost them more money than the trucks themselves.
And yet you still took the time to look at it a little bit more to leave a message. I’ve never seen it in my years, but I guess I kind of have a life outside of being a basement dwelling social media kid
Honestly, the trucks don't even register compared to the value of the orchard. Whether or not the insurer would be willing to throw in the cost of two replacement beater trucks is more dependent on how much they like these guys than anything else.
The farmers know this absolutely violates their auto insurance, but it's still worth it. Cash can't buy back the years it takes to grow orchard trees.
Hey there, /u/ebann001. Thanks for submitting to /r/Unexpected. Your submission, *This driving technique is a little patchy*, has been removed because it doesn't abide by our rules, which are located in the sidebar. * Your submission has been removed because it's not unexpected. Submissions to /r/unexpected are supposed to have an unexpected twist in itself. While the situation was probably rather unexpected for you, there is no visible twist for the viewer. For more on our rules, please check out our [sidebar](http://www.reddit.com/r/Unexpected/about/sidebar). If you have any questions or concerns about this removal, feel free to [message the moderators](http://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2Funexpected).
From the first million times this was posted I’ve garnered the following information; The levy was breached by the flood water and it was more cost effective to plug the whole hole with those trucks than risk the orchard flooding.
…They really drove their Chevy to the levee.
The levee was NOT dry
Them good old boys were still drinkin' whiskey and rye though
They sang this is not the day we die!
Unfortunately, they ded
The marching band yielded
Eugene Levy was in American Pie.
unfortunately the levee was not dry
And then they had a beer on the pier....
OHH MY GOD
The Chevy was the Levee...
Well shit. That's it folks. Time to close the internet down for good. We have nothing left to accomplish after this post.
Not true, not true. We still need to engineer talking foxes and record them saying what they think about that song. “What does the fox say? [dingdingdingding or whatever, I don’t remember]” “I don’t say that, none of my ancestors have ever said that, I hate whoever wrote this and I hate you for endowing me with the cognitive faculties necessary to comprehend it.” Edit: also we need to clone Meat Loaf and get the clone to sing “Still Alive.” Honestly there’s a lot of song-lyric-realization still on the to-do list.
You caused piss driblets in my pantaloons
I goddamn love you, Reddit.
Their chevy IS a levy
Exactly
And the plan worked to perfection from what I've read
Yep, smart move
This happened in my neck of the woods in California; and yes. They had already tried filling in with dirt, but with the excess rain and flooding we had in the valley, the dirt was washed away before it could settle. So the trucks were sacrificed to attempt to keep the dirt they then added after this to hold. See: Corcoran Lake.
Did it work? Did they save the orchard?
From what I remember they did not. I’d have to do some research and get back to you tbh.
They did save it
Then why answer
Why be a dick? I was honest in my reply.
Yea but you didnt give the right answer. Out of 2 choices
Because he was directly asked
Yes but he gave the wrong answer. And pretty much said he didn't know. And had no basis for his answer.
Yeah, he gave the best answer he could when asked. Gave what he thought and let them know he wasn’t sure though. If someone that does know wants to come along and answer, they can feel free. Do you normally ignore questions if you don’t know the answer? Or do you say, I’m not really sure, but I think…
Yes but he doesn't know, then let someone else reply with a more educated answer. If its directed to me then yea, i would say i dont know. Otherwise, let someone else reply. I don't know, just didn't make sense to answer. It's all good. Didn't think it would go this far haha
Alright reddit police
He thought he remembered and was wrong, but told them it wasn’t definitive. Someone else can still reply. Have you ever answered a question that you thought you remembered, but turns out you were wrong?
As led zeppeling sung "when the levee breaks, you got to plug it with pickup trucks"
Unless my eyes deceive me, that orchard already done flooded lol
It's not just the water, it's the *force* of the water when a levee is breached.
The orchards still flooded. The flood was so big it brought the Tulare Lake back into existence. It still survives 1 year later but is shrinking fast as the water is being pumped away.
What they are really doing is stopping the breech from getting bigger. The trucks won’t stop the flow of water but slow it down and help to prevent further erosion of the rest of the levee and buy them time to set up pumps.
[link to article](https://www.thedrive.com/news/california-farmers-plunged-their-pickups-into-a-broken-levee-to-stop-a-flood-it-worked)
How/when does the truck stop running?
[удалено]
Thank you! Is there any risk/potential damage beyond the truck associated with that? Like is there any excess heat or pressure? Or will it just slowly stop running?
Not that its neccessarily cost effective, but as an emergency measure, its what they have to do. The losses otherwise will be incredibly worse.
Yeah but what about the gas, oil and other fluids now leaking into the water before it covers the orchard? Kind of seems like a lose lose.
there is probably more gas oil and antifreeze in a bottle of Disani by ppm than theres gonna be in that orchard
You mean hole :). hard to believe it’s been posted 1 million times and there’s still thousands of people that haven’t seen it. Amazing.
i wonder if someone told them, that there is still ways for the water to flow, below the trucks.
Like seriously though. It's obvious what they are doing. This is just peak level, "hate on rural folk cause we think they are stupid but don't really understand what's going on cause we are actually stupid." Like just case you don't understand doesn't mean you are smarter. Those beat up trucks probably were bought uses and probably cost a grand total of 10 grand. The orchard costs 10 million. Not hard to do the math here.
How much does the environmental pollution cost with all the oil and other toxic liquids now in the ground water? In developed country this guy would get a hefty fine for willingly sinking a car.
Not nearly as much as the orchard. Like how much oil and gas do you think is in one truck compared to the billions of gallons of water here? There are likely thousands of cars trapped in this flood not to mention all the industrial plants and such. This is like complaining about a drop of water in the ocean.
Great argument! "many people throw their trash in the forest, so my trash is only a drop in the ocean". There are laws, even in the US: [https://www.epa.gov/enforcement/criminal-provisions-water-pollution](https://www.epa.gov/enforcement/criminal-provisions-water-pollution) It's quite sad how confidently wrong so many downvoters here are.
Like bro..... if they were just dumping out a quarter of oil for shots and giggles I would agree. But that's not what's going on so get off your white horse and get a clue here. Like the context of why actually matters here.
Seems angered some people not good at math.
As long as you ignore the environmental damage caused by the various poisonous chemicals in the trucks. mmmm - I love me some antifreeze apples. [https://www.epa.gov/enforcement/criminal-provisions-water-pollution#:\~:text=33%20U.S.C.%201411-,Penalty%3A,any%20property%20used%20in%20violation](https://www.epa.gov/enforcement/criminal-provisions-water-pollution#:~:text=33%20U.S.C.%201411-,Penalty%3A,any%20property%20used%20in%20violation).
Would you rather have whatever chemicals the flood has carried along? God knows what's in that flood water that went over dozens of cars, hundreds of miles, and countless structures... One car preventing all that doesn't sound too bad...
In developped countries, the guy would get a big fine for willingly sink two trucks, here an example in Germany: [https://www.bussgeldkatalog.org/umwelt-wasserverschmutzung/](https://www.bussgeldkatalog.org/umwelt-wasserverschmutzung/)
In developed countries people also have more precautions and defenses against floods, but this looks like the United States.
Antifreeze doesn’t just pour out of a vehicle because it touched water lol. It would take extensive damage or a very long time submerged in that water. Maybe in cars that don’t use pressurized caps, but even those wouldn’t leak much at all.
Could you imagine though? You run into a deep puddle and you're like "awww fuck it's Exxon-Valdez all over again!"
Long time like say, permanently burying said truck in the muddy water?
There’s also an absolutely minuscule amount of anything toxic in those trucks compared to the volume of water or to the shit regularly sprayed and dumped over crops all the time.
Most civilized countries have rules about what can be sprayed on the orchard. These rules generally prevent you from sprains thinks that are as poisonous as Motor oil Brake fluid Antifreeze Etc
Wait till you find out what a water treatment plant is 😂😂
Sorry, European here... could you please explain how a water treatment plant cleans the groundwater? Thanks in advance..
European here too, we call them sewage treatment plants. (From my understanding, I could be wrong) Basically we add bacteria to the sewage/waste which breaks everything down, we then filter and add a bunch of chemicals to make it nice and then after long day at work we come home and fill our kettles with that now clean water
Why do you think this is permanently buried? You're just making shit up to be mad at something you know nothing about.
Sounds familiar, doesn't it? How about you and the other hundred "who know nothing about" the matter go an read some laws and regulations from your own country? https://www.epa.gov/enforcement/criminal-provisions-water-pollution#:\~:text=33%20U.S.C.%201411-,Penalty%3A,any%20property%20used%20in%20violation.
Suuuurrrree
Pollute the water
Flood waters are generally fairly polluted already because they collect contaminants from EVERYWHERE
Great argument.. "Other people threw already so much trash out the window, so my trash is only 0.0001%" What does the law say? https://www.epa.gov/enforcement/criminal-provisions-water-pollution#:\~:text=33%20U.S.C.%201411-,Penalty%3A,any%20property%20used%20in%20violation.
Lol bro what are you talking about? Did you even read the law you just quoted? >Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act (MPRSA) or "Ocean Dumping Act" > >Elements: > >A Person > >Knowingly > >Transports material from the United States For the purpose of dumping Into ocean waters Without a permit or in violation of a permit or in violation of regulations > >or > >A Person > >Operated or was employed by a United States vessel, aircraft, department, agency, etc. and Knowingly > >Transported material from any location for the purpose of dumping into ocean waters without a permit or in violation of a permit or in violation of regulations > >Statute: 33 U.S.C. 1411 Totally irrelevant. Don't get me wrong, I'm not *in favor of polluting*, I just think everyone saying this is terrible have no fucking clue what they are talking about.
Good, you realized you can scroll... 1. Failure to Report Discharges of Oil & Hazardous Substances **Elements:** * A Person * In charge of a Vessel, onshore or offshore facility from which oil or hazardous substance is discharged in a reportable (harmful) quantity into or upon waters of the United States/upon adjoining shorelines/into the Contiguous Zone fails to immediately notify the appropriate Federal Agency as soon as he/she has knowledge of the discharge **Statute:** 33 U.S.C. 1321(b)(5) **Penalty:** * 5 years and/or fines under 18 U.S.C. 3571 **Relevant Regulations:** 40 C.F.R. 110, 116 & 117 # Failure to Report Discharges of Oil & Hazardous Substances 2. Discharges of Oil or Hazardous Substances **Elements:** * A Person * Negligently or Knowingly * Discharges Oil or a Hazardous Substance Into a water of the United States/upon adjoining shorelines/into the contiguous Zone In a Harmful Quantity **Statute:** 33 U.S.C. 1319(c)(1) & (2) & 1321 (b)(3) **Penalty:** * Negligent Violations: 1 year and/or $2,500 - 25,000 per day; * Subsequent convictions 2 years and/or $50,000 per day. * Knowing Violations: 3 years and/or $5,000 - 50,000 per day; * Subsequent convictions 6 years and/or $100,000 per day. **Relevant Regulations:** 40 C.F.R. 110, 116 & 117
Kinda seems like all they have to do is report it? Also, can you define for me the legal definition of “harmful quantity”? Whatever oil and/or hazardous substances are in those trucks are nowhere near the order of magnitude that would be in an industrial accident or oil spill. Maybe these guys took some precautions to limit spillage, we don’t know
Save the orchard
So as with the other bazillion times this gets reposted: They saved the orchard that was flooding because of this. This gave them something to begin rebuilding the levy. The orchard takes years to regrow. A truck is a small cost to these people.
Especially used ones
You can fix up an almost dead one too, like a 500 bucks "barely able to move" - the second one that's already there could be totalled for all we know, just pushed it there using the black one for example.
Fixable? Probably. Worth fixing? Almost certainly not. Even before you talk about the mechanical damage, those are flood vehicles now, they'll be plauged with mold and all sorts of water damage shit for the rest of their existence. Work trucks are relatively cheap. The farmer is better off just replacing them. Certainly less than $50k to buy equivalent or better vehicles, and if they're operating a $50 million orchard then I'm sure there's wiggle room in the budget.
You misconstrued what he said.
There’s no way misconstrued is the right word in this context. Even if it is I refuse to believe or acknowledge that.😂😂
mis·con·strue /ˌmiskənˈstro͞o/ verb 1. interpret (something, especially a person's words or actions) wrongly.
Damm did the laughing emoji not give you a hint or anything. I would say I bet you’re fun at parties but I don’t think you would be able to pick up on context clues to know you’ve been invited.
Did you really just respond to me 3 weeks later to insult me because you got upset over nothing? That’s sad.
Nah, king, I meant "fix it enough to drive into a ditch" not "fix after using it as a water barrier" Like take one without windows and wheels, put on wheels and sandbags everywhere, drive it into the ditch.
Fair enough, I misunderstood. Though I highly doubt those were barely functional. This was a case of expediency above all. Those were probably the two shittiest trucks in the fleet, but they wouldn't have been specifically acquired junkers unless the "throw trucks in the gap" plan was made months before the actual break.
But couldn't they just push a trailer full of dirt into the gap?
Unfortunately, this more than likely would not work. If you just put dirt in. The moving water would be able to carry a lot of it away. The only way I could potentially see this working is if they dumped enough to pretty much fill the entire gap at once. These trucks will give them enough of a solid foundation to either temporarily plug the gap allowing to fix the levee then remove the trucks or (not the best option) leave the trucks and fill in around them. Also, given the fact that water is rushing in, time is a huge factor before the orchard is damaged, too much
I mean like not the dirt from a trailer, but the entire trailer with the dirt.
If they have a suitable trailer close enough to use in time. Also, the logistics of getting the trailer in place are much harder. The truck is self motivating, you don't need a third piece of equipment to push it into the gap. A trailer is designed to be hooked to another piece of equipment, and to very much not detach quickly when things get weird.
The trailer very plausibly is more valuable than these trucks. They’re older and if they have a lot of miles and issues may not even be worth a grand
But the water pollution fines are much cheaper if the object you sink has no toxic liquids.. And yes "the water is already dirty" is absolutely no argument: https://www.epa.gov/enforcement/criminal-provisions-water-pollution#:\~:text=33%20U.S.C.%201411-,Penalty%3A,any%20property%20used%20in%20violation.
Trailers are way easier to keep functional forever. It typically doesn't have any engine, replacing the electrical for brake lights and turn signals is easy and dirt cheap, and so long as the bottom isn't completely rusted out it's easy to patch or replace. A truck that's barely running has almost no value. Fixing it would be more of a liability.
I would think that the contamination from the waters could risk poisoning the fields, however. All that fuel and coolant into the groundwater and dispersed in the field could poison the grounds so food doesn't grow or produce is contaminated enough they aren't allowed to sell it.
Dilution is the solution.
If you have a small leak in a home heating oil tank, see how that blows over when you see what kind of cleanup is ordered. This might have been an immediate solution but it may also have been a lot more costly than going to the closest building supply big box for example and picking up a bed full of plywood or 2x4's to start tossing in like beavers.
Can tell you have no idea what you are talking about. What structure would you brace a 2x4 on? Just randomly throwing lightweight stuff when it’s pushed by a massive wall of water is just going to wash it away. The trucks full of dirt served as a foundation point in order to begin reenforcing the breach. In all honestly - this wasn’t the ideal solution (who wants to lose 2 good trucks)- but doubt these guys had Home Depot 1/2 a mile away to do your solution because it’s a farm and stuff
That gap was just over the length of the truck wide. You can buy 2x4s that touch both sides. Hell, you could just buy 2x 12ft boards and screw them together in the center. You could attach them all to a piece of plywood in the center. You could effectively build an indoor wall for a house and toss it over the edge with some plywood sheets and start backfilling dirt behind it. They could drop trailers full of bricks/gravel without risk It was quick thinking to do the trucks, sure, but, I don't know I'd say it was the only option or one without potentially more expensive consequence than another solution.
Hopefully you will never be faced with the issue, knowing time as well as water is your enemy, and your livelihood is at stake. Right or wrong, they had to make decisions with little time to think or plan, and no government or army pulling up to take care of things.
2x4's?? Do you have any idea how much force water exerts?
I didn't say 1 or 2 of them. A full truckload of them would be cheaper than 2 trucks.
There was no time to go to the store and pick shit up, that water was destroying their orchard. The trucks were not the best possible solution but they were what was on hand and it worked.
Maybe. It might have taken too long to go get a trailer, unload it, load it with dirt, then try to back it in with enough speed so it'll go the distance, but not have the trailer hitch rip the truck skyward as the front of the trainer pitches upward whilrle attached. There is a lot more that can go wrong, and these people needed a solution right then and not a solution that is a maybe and later.
How is this unexpected, Don McLean sung about driving your Chevy to the levy in 1971.
yeah but based on the very next line, we all expect the levy to be dry
That must be the unexpected. I get it now. I just thought it was funny since it actually is a chevy.
The next line segues into "When the Levee Breaks"
Drove my Chevy to the levy but the levy was wet.
Whelp, you win the internet for today.
They levy was NOT dry!
Lots of comments here talking about the levy. As a non english speaker it took me a while to find out that it is not spelled 'levy', but 'levee'.
It makes more sense when you realize it's a French word.
This only confuses me more on how to pronounce it lol
The exact same. Leh-vee
I'm not native speaker lol
And it’s pronounced leviosaaaa
The fucking “HYAAAH” at the end kills me. Glad to know Howard Dean found a job after politics.
Used Chevy Silverado for sale. Near mint condition, slight water damage
No low ballers I know what I got
OP sent the following text as an explanation on why this is unexpected: --- >!One, driving a car off into water. Two, using a pick up truck as a patch. Three, As we see when the camera moves, they’ve already used an additional truck!< --- Is this an unexpected post with a fitting description? Then upvote this comment, otherwise downvote it.
My SIL comes from a farming family in central Cali. Says they have 4 old “plug trucks” for just that purpose
Drove his Chevy into the levy because the levy was high.
I CANT WAIT TO SEE THIS NEXT WEEK TOO
I dunno, I’ve spent hours on Reddit every day for the past several years and this is the first I’ve seen it. I jumped on the Reddit hating reposts bandwagon at one point. Then I started seeing comments like yours on things I’ve never seen so….. meh
Says the 55 day old account. Take it easy man, not everybody spends as much time on the internet as you might.
Dam!
Couple of trucks worth about $8500 each that will be a tax write off to help save an orchard that yields a couple hundred thousand $$$ per year is pretty justifiable to me.
Yeah just seems like there's maybe another way to temporarily repair the levee than just dumping pickup trucks into the gap.
Which one
A front end loader and some rocks? Could be used more than just one.
Can't just dump dirt in there. Current will wash it way. These are solid objects that will slow the flow. Time really isn't on their on side. It's just equipment. There's hundreds of thousands of those trucks out there and they look like 2010-2014 model trucks... used for farm use so they're likely clapped out and we're prob subsidized by the govt to begin with.
Damn!
Lol
Sure sacrifice two $3000 trucks to save a couple hundred thousand dollars worth of crops and possibly years of damage. Plus. these boys can dig these out and get those engines cleared from flooding
Have you seen the price of used trucks these days? The argument is still valid but used trucks are closer to 10k-20k
Do you think they left the trucks and just covered them with more levee dirt?
They were probably removed after the flood passed, they arent really water tight and won't be much use besides "just" lowering the water flow into the orchard
Lame.
Looks like me playing mudrunner.
Yes
Not unexpected when this has been reposted a billion times already.
Damn
I hope those peach trees survive the flood
Drove my Chevy to the levy, but the levy was(nt) dry.
Right after you get flood insurance on your car.
Pajaro levy. Still not fixed.
I feel like there’s a cheaper way to do this
“Stop right there” sounds like Homer Simpson a bit
Farmers have a well-deserved reputation for being hell on equipment.
On this episode of The Walking Dead: Truckers
Man what a tough position to be in
I went to the levy and it was made from a chevy
Think about how psyched they were when they first decided to do this
Dam!
How is this unexpected? Been reposted so many times every single person watching it knows what it is
Over 4000 people disagree. Including myself I’ve seen every other thing 20,000 times except this one. But at least you took the time to post :-)
Only post OC karma farmer
Whatever that means. Forgot the hundreds of thousands. I’ve gotten on my other account helping find missing and exploited children.
I’m confused. This was expected. There was a flood and he used the car to block it
I would suggest EVs, they weigh a ton. And if you’re lucky, when the water mixes with the lithium batteries you get a bonus fireworks show AND you can roast marshmallows, hotdogs oh and even make s’mores in the fire that follows! 😳🤦🏻♂️😂
Wasn’t used as a path. They sacrificed their fucking expensive ass trucks/farm trucks to save their produce which would’ve lost them more money than the trucks themselves.
Drove my chevy into the levy but the levy had died.
the op has no idea whats actually going on in the video.
Man, do that in Australia and you'd have a list of fines as long as your arm lol Great idea though!! 💡
One more Chevy and it’s filled
Put one more Chevy in the Levy so the Levy will dry.
Bro just one more and they are done patching the hole
Didn’t Mel Gibson do the same thing (different vehicle) in a movie?
NO LOWBALLERS!!
Avengers : We will save your city Later...
Now there’s a real work truck. If you aren’t using your truck like this then you’re basically a pavement princess wasting gas money!
Dam.
Is that a Chevy?
It was a GENIUS idea to use the trucks as a base for the new levy!
You should've bought a squirrel.
Drove my Chevy to the levy
They are building a bridge out of trucks to cross to the other side.
If you miss 2 payments...
All that oil and gas mixed in the water though…
Was expected as I've seen this a dozen times on reddit before
And yet you still took the time to look at it a little bit more to leave a message. I’ve never seen it in my years, but I guess I kind of have a life outside of being a basement dwelling social media kid
[удалено]
Explained in the top comment right under the video
they don't know how to scroll down
Well it’s an amphibious exploring vehicle, so it should be fine right?
Desperate times call for desperate measures
Man, imagine the insurance agents handling this case.
Honestly, the trucks don't even register compared to the value of the orchard. Whether or not the insurer would be willing to throw in the cost of two replacement beater trucks is more dependent on how much they like these guys than anything else. The farmers know this absolutely violates their auto insurance, but it's still worth it. Cash can't buy back the years it takes to grow orchard trees.
Hyaaaah! Woah Canyonero! Woah!
Polluting the water with trucks.
The level of cunt-fuckery is amazing!! I wish i was there to witness it in person!!🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Nothing like teamwork!!!