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.
Water managers will once again manually measure California’s snowpack, saying the state is on track for one of the wettest winters on record after five years of drought. The California Department of Water Resources will do the survey Wednesday in the Sierra Nevada. The snowpack is vital because it provides one-third of the state’s water […]
The chances of an abundant water supply for California growers this summer keep improving as the water content in snowpack remains far above normal. The state Department of Water Resources third manual snow survey of the season found a snow-water equivalent of 43.4 inches on March 1 — well above the average of 24.3 inches […]
There is a cycle to the conversation about infrastructure and how to pay for it. And it goes like this in California: A few politicians say that infrastructure — roads, bridges, tunnels, railways, dams and more — are the lifeblood of economic prosperity. Editorial boards point out that Gov. Pat Brown and the Legislature of […]
The rain that fell in Sacramento added up to a record when the months of January and February were combined. The drenching that Sacramento experienced last month strained creeks and caused some flooding, but February was not the wettest on the record. A total of 8.04 inches fell in Sacramento in February. Other wet Februaries […]
A helicopter tour over Oroville Dam and the Feather River on Wednesday, March 1, 2017, reveals the dramatic extent of damage suffered by the spillway, the adjacent hillside scoured down to bedrock and the streambed of the Feather River piled with rock and other debris by dangerous high flows that nearly caused catastrophe beginning on […]
OPINION: Here’s Who Should Get The Bill For Oroville Repairs
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Chico Enteriprise Recordby 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 Snowpack Could Bring 5-Year Drought To Its Knees
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Associated Press (As published by Los Angeles Daily News)by Scott SmithWater managers will once again manually measure California’s snowpack, saying the state is on track for one of the wettest winters on record after five years of drought. The California Department of Water Resources will do the survey Wednesday in the Sierra Nevada. The snowpack is vital because it provides one-third of the state’s water […]
‘Phenomenal’ Snowpack Brightens California Water Outlook
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Capital Press AG (Salem, Oreg.)by Tim HeardenThe chances of an abundant water supply for California growers this summer keep improving as the water content in snowpack remains far above normal. The state Department of Water Resources third manual snow survey of the season found a snow-water equivalent of 43.4 inches on March 1 — well above the average of 24.3 inches […]
OPINION: California Must Address Vital Infrastructure Needs
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Desert Sun (Palm Springs)There is a cycle to the conversation about infrastructure and how to pay for it. And it goes like this in California: A few politicians say that infrastructure — roads, bridges, tunnels, railways, dams and more — are the lifeblood of economic prosperity. Editorial boards point out that Gov. Pat Brown and the Legislature of […]
Record January-February Rain Total For Sacramento
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Sacramento Beeby Bill LindelofThe rain that fell in Sacramento added up to a record when the months of January and February were combined. The drenching that Sacramento experienced last month strained creeks and caused some flooding, but February was not the wettest on the record. A total of 8.04 inches fell in Sacramento in February. Other wet Februaries […]
VIDEO: Oroville Dam Spillway Devastation, Ruined Hillside, Clogged River Revealed After Water Flow Is Stopped
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Sacramento Beeby Randy PenchA helicopter tour over Oroville Dam and the Feather River on Wednesday, March 1, 2017, reveals the dramatic extent of damage suffered by the spillway, the adjacent hillside scoured down to bedrock and the streambed of the Feather River piled with rock and other debris by dangerous high flows that nearly caused catastrophe beginning on […]