As you are probably aware, on Sunday, Feb. 12, the Oroville Dam’s emergency spillway almost eroded away. This caused more than 180,000 people to evacuate the area immediately. If the wall above the emergency spillway failed, it would have been catastrophic and could have caused many to lose their lives. Fortunately, this did not happen.
California faces an estimated $50 billion price tag for roads, dams and other infrastructure threatened by floods such as the one that severely damaged Oroville Dam last month, the state’s natural resources secretary said Wednesday. Nearly 200,000 people living near the country’s tallest dam were evacuated three weeks ago amid fears of a catastrophic flood […]
The plan to remove four hydroelectric dams to improve fish passage and water quality on the Klamath River is proceeding on schedule for a 2020 demolition time, according to plan proponents. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission will ultimately have to approve or deny the plan, and the change in administration in Washington, D.C., has led […]
In the late 1980s, a Japanese scientist named Koji Minoura stumbled on a medieval poem that described a tsunami so large it had swept away a castle and killed a thousand people. Intrigued, Minoura and his team began looking for paleontological evidence of the tsunami beneath rice paddies, and discovered not one but three massive, […]
The Kings River’s overflow system in western Fresno County cannot carry as much floodwater as it once did, so there is greater risk of flooding in this wet year, Fresno County supervisors were told on Tuesday. The problems led to approval of an emergency proclamation by supervisors that will allow officials to seek state help […]
The drought-busting snow and rain in the mountains around Lake Tahoe have pushed the lake to its highest level in more than a decade. After five years of drought, the alpine lake atop the Sierra Nevada now has enough water to fill downstream reservoirs and meet the Reno area’s needs for at least two years, […]
OPINION: Here’s Who Should Get The Bill For Oroville Repairs
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /ChicoERby Luke ApplebyAs you are probably aware, on Sunday, Feb. 12, the Oroville Dam’s emergency spillway almost eroded away. This caused more than 180,000 people to evacuate the area immediately. If the wall above the emergency spillway failed, it would have been catastrophic and could have caused many to lose their lives. Fortunately, this did not happen.
California Faces $50B Price Tag For Flood Control Fixes
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Associated Press (As Published by CBS Sacramento)California faces an estimated $50 billion price tag for roads, dams and other infrastructure threatened by floods such as the one that severely damaged Oroville Dam last month, the state’s natural resources secretary said Wednesday. Nearly 200,000 people living near the country’s tallest dam were evacuated three weeks ago amid fears of a catastrophic flood […]
Klamath River Dam Removal Plan On Track As Administration Shifts
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Times Standard (Eureka)by Will HoustonThe plan to remove four hydroelectric dams to improve fish passage and water quality on the Klamath River is proceeding on schedule for a 2020 demolition time, according to plan proponents. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission will ultimately have to approve or deny the plan, and the change in administration in Washington, D.C., has led […]
Have We Underestimated The West’s Super-Floods?
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /High Country News (Paonia, Colo.)by Krista LangloisIn the late 1980s, a Japanese scientist named Koji Minoura stumbled on a medieval poem that described a tsunami so large it had swept away a castle and killed a thousand people. Intrigued, Minoura and his team began looking for paleontological evidence of the tsunami beneath rice paddies, and discovered not one but three massive, […]
Flooding Threat: Too Much Water Filling A System With Too Little Capacity
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Fresno Beeby Marc BenjaminThe Kings River’s overflow system in western Fresno County cannot carry as much floodwater as it once did, so there is greater risk of flooding in this wet year, Fresno County supervisors were told on Tuesday. The problems led to approval of an emergency proclamation by supervisors that will allow officials to seek state help […]
Drought-Busting Snow Pushes Tahoe To Highest Mark Since 2006
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Associated Press (As Published by The Tribune - San Luis Obispo)The drought-busting snow and rain in the mountains around Lake Tahoe have pushed the lake to its highest level in more than a decade. After five years of drought, the alpine lake atop the Sierra Nevada now has enough water to fill downstream reservoirs and meet the Reno area’s needs for at least two years, […]