A strange “portal of hell” with a strange swirling effect left people perplexed as they opened into a lake.
The terrifying 75-foot-wide hole acts as a huge drainage for Lake Beriesa Reservoir, located on top of Monticello Dam in the eastern Napa Valley.
Excess water swirls in the massive hole as the water level rises above 15 feet, creating a strange and wonderful rotating vortex effect.
About 1,360 cubic meters of water are absorbed by the spillway per second when used, which then travels down a 250-foot tunnel, according to the Mirror.
In the 1950s, engineers built an overflow as an alternative to the more common gutter used to control the flow of water from a dam or dike.
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With this in mind, the architects built a drainage-like function in the dam, as it narrows the gap between the rocks where it is located and would leave the gutter with nowhere to go.
Since then, the hole has built a good reputation among the community.
The hole is an overflow of Lake Berryessa, which happens to drain water from the reservoir when it reaches a certain level. (Image: express.co.uk)
Hundreds of spectators in 2017 came to watch the impressive spectacle since the opening of the “portal”.
Lake Beriesa can hold about 52 billion gallons of water before the surplus begins to flow into the spillway.
The lake reached full capacity for the first time in 11 years in 2018.
However, it reopened in 2019 after a season of heavy rainfall, attracting thousands of curious onlookers.
Today, the hole is no longer a safety hazard, as the tank is connected by a rope and prohibits swimming or boating.
A drone catches the overflow of Lake Beriesa as it overflows. (Image: Evan K / Youtube) Read more related articles Read more related articles
However, in 1997, Emily Schwalek died after being caught in the current while rowing in the area, while being swept down the pipe, after holding on to the edge for about 20 minutes.
The footage from the hole went viral since it was published on the social media platform Gfycat in 2018, and was later distributed on Reddit and garnered hundreds of thousands of views.
Some viewers on social media were frightened by the spectacle.
Lake Beriesa can hold about 52 billion gallons of water. (Image: Evan K / Youtube)
One comment said, “Why is there a giant hole in the middle of the lake where people are swimming, and why is there no rope around?”
Another added: “This looks very dangerous.”
And a third said, “That’s where the gate to hell is.”
Like the Gates of Hell in California, a fire pit in Kazakhstan earned a similar nickname in the early 1970s when the ground collapsed during a Soviet gas drilling expedition.
The hole is 20 meters deep and 60 meters (190 feet) wide. It is located in the Karakum Desert, about 160 miles north of the capital Ashgabat.
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