Could a mass evacuation like the one in Oroville happen here in San Diego? The city says no, that all the dams around our area are safe. The Miramar Dam is a very popular recreation area. There are runners, bicyclists all out enjoying the lake and the view. What all these people are exercising on is actually an earthen dam. “It’s very critical for our water supply here in the San Diego region,” says Halla Razak, Director of the San Diego Public Utility Department.
A soft light was just beginning to outline the Tejon Hills as Bret Adee counted rows of wizened almond trees under his breath. He placed a small white flag at the end of every 16th row to show his employees where they should place his beehives. Every so often, he fingered the buds on the trees. “It won’t be long,” he said. Mr. Adee (pronounced Ay-Dee) is America’s largest beekeeper, and this is his busy season. Some 92,000 hives had to be deployed before those buds burst into blossom so that his bees could get to the crucial work of pollination.
Rainwater erosion alongside the Oroville Dam’s main spillway appears to have contributed to the heavy damage that prompted a crisis, forcing more than 100,000 to be evacuated from their homes, a report reviewed by The Times showed. A summary of the incident, prepared by state water officials four days after the crater in the concrete chute appeared, said water from heavy rains hit the hillsides where the massive concrete spillway runs. Flowing water during heavy rains was “diverted … effectively eroding and undermining the spillway, causing a section to collapse,” said the incident summary.
The strongest storm to hit Southwest California in several years is expected to bring torrential rain, flash flooding and powerful winds on Friday, forecasters say. The storm is expected to dump up to 6 inches of rain on Los Angeles County beaches and valleys and 5 to 10 inches on south-facing foothills and coastal mountain slopes, according to the National Weather Service. A flash flood watch has been issued for Santa Barbara, Ventura and Los Angeles counties from Friday morning through Saturday morning.
Butte County Supervisor Bill Connelly has been openly opposed to the Department of Water Resources’ actions for over a decade and is hoping the national spotlight will now push forward things the county has sought for years. Butte County filed a petition Wednesday with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the agency which allows the DWR to operate the dam. The county asked FERC to order the DWR to hire its own public safety personnel or reimburse the county for its losses because of Oroville Dam’s damaged spillway.
Good morning. It’s Thursday, Feb. 16, and here’s what’s happening across California: TOP STORIES Will Oroville hold? Tons of rain will be dumped on Northern California this week, but state officials are confident that this inclement weather won’t break the Oroville Dam or its damaged spillways. “It’s holding up really well,” said Bill Croyle, acting director of the state Department of Water Resources.
A proposal to hire a consultant to study future rates for San Diego municipal water customers, and increase transparency in developing the prices, received initial backing Thursday from the City Council’s Environment Committee. The suggestion by the Utility Consumers Action Network stemmed from the council’s approval in November 2015 of rate increases that will total around 40 percent over five years. “We understand that the costs to service the provision of water to San Diego customers required a large increase,” Don Kelly of UCAN told committee members.
The Water News Network is San Diego County’s source for water news and information.
