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All Eyes On Lake Berryessa’s ‘Glory Hole’ As Reservoir Approaches Capacity

/in /by /Napa Valley Registerby Barry Eberling

For the first time in 11 years, water splashed down the funnel drain at Lake Berryessa last weekend, as people watched from Monticello Dam and a drone flew overhead to capture this historic moment. But was the spill legitimate? Was the federal reservoir fully at capacity after years of drought? As it turned out, the spillage had speed boat assistance. Water craft created waves pushing water the final few inches over the top of the giant, 72 feet in diameter concrete funnel nicknamed the “glory hole.”

 

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Tree Mortality Epidemic In California Forests Keeps Spreading

/in /by /Capital Press (Salem, Ore.)by Tim Hearden

Drought, pests and overcrowded forests are contributing to a tree mortality epidemic in the Sierra Nevada that’s rapidly spreading, the leader of a state task force says. Aerial surveys by the U.S. Forest Service last year found 36 million more dead trees, bringing the number of trees that have died in California forests since 2010 to more than 102 million, according to the state Tree Mortality Task Force. The mortality epidemic has spread from the Fresno area to Placer County and is continuing to move north, said Gabe Schultz, the task force’s Redding-based chairman.

 

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Oroville Dam’s Flood-Control Manual Hasn’t Been Updated For Half A Century

/in /by /The Sacramento Beeby Ryan Sabalow and Andy Furillo

The critical document that determines how much space should be left in Lake Oroville for flood control during the rainy season hasn’t been updated since 1970, and it uses climatological data and runoff projections so old they don’t account for two of the biggest floods ever to strike the region. Independent experts familiar with the flood-control manual at Oroville Dam said Wednesday there’s no indication the 47-year-old document contributed to the ongoing crisis involving the dam’s ailing spillways. The current troubles stem from structural failures, not how the lake’s flood-storage space was being managed.

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Santa Clara County’s Largest Dam On Cusp Of Spilling Over

/in /by /Times Standard (Eureka)

Officials say a reservoir in Santa Clara County is on the cusp of spilling over for the first time since 2006. But KNTV reported Wednesday (http://bit.ly/2ljg9TP) that unlike Oroville Dam, the Anderson Reservoir is not at risk of failure or causing major flooding. County officials are warning nearby residents to watch out for flooding. At 99.3 percent full, authorities are trying to drain the reservoir before storms arrive.

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Oroville Dam: Residents Allowed To Return As Water Level Drops

/in /by /CNNby Holly Yan, Paul Vercammen and Steve Almasy

With the water level at California’s Lake Oroville dropping, authorities lifted a mandatory evacuation order, allowing tens of thousands of residents to return to homes near the reservoir’s dam. But Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea on Tuesday cautioned residents and business owners to “maintain situational awareness” with a series of storms forecast for later in the week. “People who have special needs or require extended time to evacuate should consider remaining evacuated,” the sheriff said. Heavy rains last week caused the lake level to rise until the water began to pour down the emergency spillway on Sunday.

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Lake Oroville Critical To California’s Complex Water System

/in /by /The Associated Press (As published by Capital Press)

Lake Oroville and its dam in Northern California are critical components in California’s complex water-delivery system. Damage to spillways that are used to drop water levels in the lake and relieve pressure on the dam prompted evacuation orders covering nearly 200,000 people. Here’s a look at Lake Oroville and its place in California’s water system: How important is Lake Oroville? Lake Oroville is the starting point for California’s State Water Project, which provides drinking water to 23 million of the state’s 39 million people and irrigates 750,000 acres of farms.

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Shasta Dam Set For High Release For Next Few Weeks

/in /by /Redding Record Searchlight

Flood water from the Sacramento River will continue to be a concern for residents along the river as the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation releases 79,000 cubic feet per second from Shasta Dam for the next couple of weeks. The Shasta County Sheriff’s Office says residents along the river should be aware of rising flood water. The Redding and Anderson Police Departments will be working with the California Highway Patrol, Redding Fire Department and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection as flooding occurs.

 

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Satellite Images How How Much Central Coast Reservoirs Have Filled In Just One Month

/in /by /The Tribune (San Luis Obispo)by Janene Scully

Images captured by a satellite launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base four years ago show the dramatic difference in water levels for two Central Coast reservoirs after recent rains. The U.S. Geological Survey posted a Landsat 8 image from Dec. 29, showing low water levels for Lake San Antonio in Monterey County and Lake Nacimiento in both San Luis Obispo and Monterey counties. California’s drought left Lake Nacimiento only 22 percent full as of late last year.

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OPINION: Avoiding the Next Oroville Dam Disaster

/in /by /San Francisco Chronicle

At 770 feet, the Oroville Dam is the nation’s highest. At 48 years old, it’s certainly not the nation’s newest dam. It’s important to keep that fact in mind as crews work around the clock in an attempt to reinforce the dam’s damaged emergency spillway before the next round of rains begin later this week in Northern California. The Oroville Dam, like many of the dams, levees, seawalls, and other human efforts to contain nature, is a crucial piece of infrastructure that must be maintained and monitored.

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VIDEO: How Rain and Melting Snow Could Affect the California Dam Crisis

/in /by /The Washington Post

More rain is expected in Northern California and the melting season is just around the corner. Here’s what all that extra water means for the Lake Oroville dam.

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