Citing recent events at Oroville Dam, two congressmen have introduced a bill to speed up approval of a new reservoir in Northern California. The bill, HR1269, would accelerate federal review of the proposed Sites Reservoir and give officials a better chance at funding for the project under Proposition 1 bond funding, according to a news release from […]
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 1,000 people. Intrigued, Minoura and his team began looking for paleontological evidence of the tsunami beneath rice paddies, and discovered not one but three massive, earthquake-triggered waves […]
Just as recent storms revealed weaknesses in Northern California’s dams and levees, they also exposed problems with Sacramento-area wastewater systems that failed to contain sewage. Record precipitation in the last two months created more pressure than some sewer lines and plants could handle. From Jan. 1 to March 2, more than 1 million gallons of […]
The Hyatt Powerhouse under Oroville Dam went back online Friday after removal of debris from the bottom of the main Oroville Dam spillway allowed the level of the Diversion Pool to be reduced. Acting Department of Water Resources Director Bill Croyle said in a press conference at noon Friday that two of the six turbines […]
The California Department of Water Resources has temporarily shut down a power plant at Oroville Dam to make improvements that will increase its capacity for releasing water, officials announced Saturday. The Hyatt Power Plant initially stopped functioning when a massive mound of concrete, earth and debris formed in the channel below the dam’s 3,000-foot concrete […]
More than four inches of rain pounded the red-tiled roofs of this coastal enclave one day last month. Waves damaged a scenic pier. Historic pine trees fell, crashing into vehicles. The airport closed. The county jail relocated 200 inmates. Residents evacuated three apartment buildings. Six vacation cabins and 15 vehicles were swept down a river in a […]
Bill Would Speed Up Review of Proposed Reservoir
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Redding Record Searchlightby Damon ArthurCiting recent events at Oroville Dam, two congressmen have introduced a bill to speed up approval of a new reservoir in Northern California. The bill, HR1269, would accelerate federal review of the proposed Sites Reservoir and give officials a better chance at funding for the project under Proposition 1 bond funding, according to a news release from […]
West’s Super Floods May Wash Over Aging Dams, Scientists Warn
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Newsweek (New York)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 1,000 people. Intrigued, Minoura and his team began looking for paleontological evidence of the tsunami beneath rice paddies, and discovered not one but three massive, earthquake-triggered waves […]
Winter Storms Cause Massive Sewage Spills In Sacramento Region
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Sacramento Beeby Brad BrananJust as recent storms revealed weaknesses in Northern California’s dams and levees, they also exposed problems with Sacramento-area wastewater systems that failed to contain sewage. Record precipitation in the last two months created more pressure than some sewer lines and plants could handle. From Jan. 1 to March 2, more than 1 million gallons of […]
Oroville Dam Power Plant Back Online
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Mercury News (San Jose)The Hyatt Powerhouse under Oroville Dam went back online Friday after removal of debris from the bottom of the main Oroville Dam spillway allowed the level of the Diversion Pool to be reduced. Acting Department of Water Resources Director Bill Croyle said in a press conference at noon Friday that two of the six turbines […]
State Officials Temporarily Shut Down Power Plant at Lake Oroville
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Sacramento Beeby Phillip ReeseThe California Department of Water Resources has temporarily shut down a power plant at Oroville Dam to make improvements that will increase its capacity for releasing water, officials announced Saturday. The Hyatt Power Plant initially stopped functioning when a massive mound of concrete, earth and debris formed in the channel below the dam’s 3,000-foot concrete […]
It’s Really Wet — So Why Is Santa Barbara Still Mired In Drought?
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Mercury News (San Jose)by Lisa M. KriegerMore than four inches of rain pounded the red-tiled roofs of this coastal enclave one day last month. Waves damaged a scenic pier. Historic pine trees fell, crashing into vehicles. The airport closed. The county jail relocated 200 inmates. Residents evacuated three apartment buildings. Six vacation cabins and 15 vehicles were swept down a river in a […]