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When a rainstorm slammed California’s Russian River watershed in December 2012, water rushed into Lake Mendocino, a reservoir north of San Francisco. The cause? An atmospheric river, a ribbon of moisture-laden air that can ferry water thousands of miles across the sky. When the tempest hit, the state was on the brink of an exceptional drought. But instead of storing the surge the storm brought for the dry days to come, the reservoir’s owner, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, let it run downstream.

The six engineers and geologists who studied the debacle at Oroville Dam are at the pinnacle of their professions. They were responsible for reviewing the work of others who also were at the top of their fields. Having spent decades analyzing obscure aspects of hydrology and geology, Independent Forensic Team members produced an impressive 584-page report focused on esoteric aspects of the science of dams, written for others versed in such science.

California restructured a key water agency Wednesday in the wake of a scathing independent report on last year’s crisis at Oroville Dam. Changes included Gov. Jerry Brown’s administration naming a new director for the Department of Water Resources, the second change of top leadership at the agency since the February crisis at the nation’s tallest dam. Both spillways at the dam gave way that month, forcing evacuation orders for nearly 200,000 people downstream.