Water was running again through the Hyatt Powerhouse beneath Oroville Dam on Monday evening. Water was sent through the hydroelectric power plant Friday for the first time since Feb. 10, but the flow was shut off about 10 a.m. Saturday when Department of Water Resources officials realized they needed a bigger channel through the debris […]
For three generations, Phillip Filter’s family has tended orchards that grow on a shelf of floodplain above the Feather River. Because the trees stand between the river and a major flood-protection levee, Filter’s family is no stranger to floods that sometimes spill over the river banks, inundate the orchards and then recede back into the […]
In the wake of the Oroville dam near-disaster, a question floating around Capitol corridors now is: Given the amount of money needed for what everyone agrees must be an expensive revamping of the state’s water infrastructure, is there room now for Gov. Jerry Brown’s heart’s desire — the $15.5 billion twin tunnels project? “This project […]
Just because nature allows a delay of many years while officials dither over a catastrophe in the making doesn’t make that disaster any easier to handle when it finally strikes. This is one major lesson of the Oroville Dam spillway crisis that saw the sudden evacuation of almost 200,000 persons from their homes when the […]
Let’s say you owned a four-bedroom house, but one room was useless because of clutter. You’d probably eventually take a deep breath and clear out the crap. You’d reclaim the room. That’s pretty much the situation with many reservoirs in California. They’ve got too much gunk in them. And it’s crowding out space for water […]
Since the beginning of the year, enough water has spilled out of California’s rain-swollen Lake Oroville to meet the demands of roughly 14 million people for a year. With no place to store the excess, much of it ended up flowing out to sea. It wasn’t just last month’s dramatic near-disaster at Lake Oroville’s dam […]
Water Flowing Through Oroville Dam Powerhouse Again
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Chico Enterprise RecordWater was running again through the Hyatt Powerhouse beneath Oroville Dam on Monday evening. Water was sent through the hydroelectric power plant Friday for the first time since Feb. 10, but the flow was shut off about 10 a.m. Saturday when Department of Water Resources officials realized they needed a bigger channel through the debris […]
Oroville Dam: Farmers Blame Sudden Spillway Shutoff For Eroded Riverbanks
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Sacramento Beeby Ryan Sabalow and Dale KaslerFor three generations, Phillip Filter’s family has tended orchards that grow on a shelf of floodplain above the Feather River. Because the trees stand between the river and a major flood-protection levee, Filter’s family is no stranger to floods that sometimes spill over the river banks, inundate the orchards and then recede back into the […]
Money, Politics And The Twin Tunnels
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Capitol Weekly (Sacramento)by Chuck McFaddenIn the wake of the Oroville dam near-disaster, a question floating around Capitol corridors now is: Given the amount of money needed for what everyone agrees must be an expensive revamping of the state’s water infrastructure, is there room now for Gov. Jerry Brown’s heart’s desire — the $15.5 billion twin tunnels project? “This project […]
OPINION: Ignored Oroville Warning Raises Big Questions
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Porterville Recorderby Thomas EliasJust because nature allows a delay of many years while officials dither over a catastrophe in the making doesn’t make that disaster any easier to handle when it finally strikes. This is one major lesson of the Oroville Dam spillway crisis that saw the sudden evacuation of almost 200,000 persons from their homes when the […]
California’s Reservoirs Are Filled With Gunk, And It’s Crowding Out Room To Store Water
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Los Angeles Timesby George SkeltonLet’s say you owned a four-bedroom house, but one room was useless because of clutter. You’d probably eventually take a deep breath and clear out the crap. You’d reclaim the room. That’s pretty much the situation with many reservoirs in California. They’ve got too much gunk in them. And it’s crowding out space for water […]
Rains Expose a New Water Problem in California: Storage
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Wall Street Journalby Jim CarltonSince the beginning of the year, enough water has spilled out of California’s rain-swollen Lake Oroville to meet the demands of roughly 14 million people for a year. With no place to store the excess, much of it ended up flowing out to sea. It wasn’t just last month’s dramatic near-disaster at Lake Oroville’s dam […]