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2 Years After Spillway Crumbled, Lessons Learned At Oroville Dam

/in , /by /KCRA 3 (Sacramento, Calif.)by David Manoucherl

It is the tallest earthen dam in the country, standing at 770 feet. The central feature standing over the town of Oroville, the dam brings water and electricity to parts of the state using water from the Feather River.

Today, construction crews are still busy doing some final grading on work that has spanned more than two years. It all began in February 2017 when the main and emergency spillways were damaged. More than 180,000 people were forced to evacuate downstream from the dam.

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NorCal Reservoirs Approaching Capacity With More Snow In Sierra

/in , /by /KCRA 3 (Sacramento)by Brian Hickey

With more rain and snow in the forecast this week, managers continue to release water from Northern California reservoirs. Most lakes in the northern half of the state are approaching capacity with significant runoff still pouring in from the snowcapped Sierra crest. On Tuesday morning, Folsom Lake was at 95% of capacity and 118% of average for this time of year. The lake’s elevation was at 461.63 feet above sea level at 2 a.m. Tuesday, just 4.37 feet below the lake’s rim. Water was being released at nearly the same rate it was coming in to maintain the current water level.

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How Rising Sea Levels Could Impact Delta, Sacramento Valley

/in , /by /KCRA 3 (Sacramento)by Kevin Oliver

As the sea level rises, it could impact more than the California coastline. The rising water could impact the Sacramento region. Some researchers said the rise could threaten levees in the area and increase the risk of flooding throughout the Delta and the Sacramento Valley. UC Davis watershed science researcher Jay Lund explained that the sea level rise is gradual — about an inch every eight years – and has been occurring since the last ice age ended thousands of years ago.

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Using The Reconstructed Oroville Dam Spillway: What You Need To Know

/in , /by /KCRA 3 (Sacramento)by Max Resnik

The chance that Oroville Dam’s reconstructed primary spillway gets used in the coming days is unlikely, the California Department of Water Resources said Friday. Still, water officials are keeping a close watch on the Lake Oroville water level, which is rising. Inflows into the lake as the result of mountain runoff, as well as predicted rainfall, will lead the water in Lake Oroville to continue to rise. As of 5 p.m. Friday, the lake sat at roughly 775 feet, far below the main spillway gates, which are at 813 feet. So, how does it all work? Here’s how things could play out, according to DWR.

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Engineer: Twin Tunnels Project Could Endanger Vital Levees

/in , /by /KCRA 3 (Sacramento)by Kevin Oliver

At the peak of pear packing season, Daniel Wilson’s Sacramento County operation is bustling. Pears are sorted wrapped and prepared for shipments to stores across the country. “I get so buried in it, I don’t think about it too hard. We just go until we’re done,” Wilson said. It’s an operation that sits a few feet below sea level, so flooding is always in the back of Wilson’s mind. His orchards and packing plant is surrounded by levees. “If you look, all the equipment is up high and that’s why,” Wilson explained, adding, “100 percent of what we farm is protected by levees anywhere from five feet below sea level (to) five feet above sea level. If the levees break, we’re out of business.”

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