Tag Archive for: Oroville Dam

Posts

State Can Seek Environmental Safeguards for Oroville Dam Beyond Federal Regulations, California Supreme Court Rules

/in , /by /San Francisco Chronicleby Bob Egelko

The state Supreme Court allowed local governments and conservation groups Monday to ask the state for further safety measures and environmental safeguards at the Oroville Dam despite federal authority to license the facility, where a breach and spill forced 188,000 people to evacuate their homes in 2017.

The ruling will not interrupt operations at the nation’s tallest dam, a 770-foot structure on the Feather River in Butte County. But the 5-2 decision enables California water officials to conduct additional review, under state environmental laws, of the dam and other federally regulated water projects.

Full Story

San Diego Research Links Oroville Dam Crisis to Global Warming

/in , , /by /KPBSby Thomas Fudge

The Oroville Dam in northern California is the nation’s tallest dam and it creates the state’s second-largest reservoir. In February of 2017, an atmospheric river dumped a huge amount of snow then a huge amount of rain into the reservoir’s watershed.

A 30-foot wall at the top of the dam, called the weir, nearly gave way to the volumes of water and 188,000 people had to be evacuated.

Full Story

Hydropower Levels Under Careful Watch as Drought Ravages the West

/in , , /by /Powerby Sonal Patel

Intensifying drought conditions in California and historically low water levels at the Oroville Dam on Aug. 5 forced the state’s Department of Water Resources to shut down the 644-MW Edward Hyatt Power Plant—the fourth-largest energy producer of all California’s hydroelectric facilities.

While the current drought is affecting 95% of the West, it is bearing down severely in California and in the Colorado River Basin. Multiple reservoirs monitored by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation are “substantially” affected. The federal agency reported on Aug. 8 that at least six of its 44 major reclamation reservoirs—including Hoover Dam and Glen Canyon Dam—have now fallen to their lowest storage values in the last 30 years.

Full Story

‘It’s Been Dropping Fast All Year’: Concerns Rise Over Water Levels at Lake Oroville

/in , , /by /Fox40by Lonnie Wong, Katelyn Stark

The drought is taking its toll on dams and rivers throughout California and there is no clearer example than at Lake Oroville where water levels have been dropping all year.

“It’s been dropping fast all year,” said fisherman Jeremiah Corlin. “It’s been slowing down, but it’s still dropping fast.”

The Oroville Dam is the state water system’s tallest, but boaters and fishermen have witnessed the water level fall nearly 250 feet below average.

Full Story

DWR Secures Additional $300M for Oroville Dam Spillway Repairs

/in , /by /News 10 (Oregon)by Austin Herbaugh and Kassandra Gutierrez

The California Department of Water Resources has secured $308 million in funding to pay for reconstruction and repair work that has been done on the Oroville Dam’s spillways.

The funds, released by FEMA, are in addition to the $260 million that the agency provided for repairs on the lower portion of the dam’s main spillway.

Full Story

Federal Spending Bill Includes Funding for Dam Repairs, Snow Measurement Technology

/in , , /by /KRCR-TVby Kassandra Gutierrez

The proposed federal spending bill for 2021 includes funding for the Oroville Dam, Sites Reservoir Project and new snow measurement technology. If passed by Congress, part of the massive omnibus spending bill would allocate $1 billion towards restoration projects and drought relief efforts.

Full Story

Report: Oroville Dam Safe, but Still Vulnerable

/in , , /by /KRCR (Redding, Calif.)by Austin Herbaugh

It appears that repair work on the Oroville Dam’s damaged spillways has paid off.

A team of experts released their findings Monday, concluding that no urgent repairs are needed right now on the Oroville Dam. The report goes on to say that the largest earthen dam in America is safe to operate. However, the Oroville Dam is not completely in the clear.

Full Story

Oroville Dam Has “No Risks” of Damage as Potters Fire Burns

/in , /by /ABC 7 by Ryan Matthey Mentioned: https://krcrtv.com/news/local/oroville-dam-has-no-risks-of-damage-as-potters-fire-burns?mc_cid=5a28e014ef&mc_eid=8042cdd91b

There are no current risks to the Oroville Dam as the Potters Fire burns close by, according to the Department of Water Resources.

In a statement to KRCR, DWR says that they are working with CAL FIRE and local responders to protect critical infrastructure, like the high voltage transmission lines that provide generation to the California electrical grid. They add that their operations continue with essential staff on site.

Climate Change Could Lead to More Incidents Like the Oroville Dam Spillway Failures, Experts Warn

/in , , /by /CapRadioby Ezra David Romero

Nearly 200,000 people were evacuated when the spillways failed at Oroville Dam in 2017, an infrastructure disaster that cost around a billion dollars to repair.

Three years later scientists say events that partially led to the incident could become more frequent. It comes down to how and when snow and rain fall.

Full Story

Seepage Monitors Installed at Oroville Dam

/in , /by /KRCR News by Kelli Saam

This week, the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) will install eight new measurement devices at the base of the Oroville Dam. The devices, called piezometers will monitor seepage and will be used to confirm seepage measurements that the DWR already collects. Seepage refers to a small amount of water that can pass through the dam.

DWR said seepage is normal and expected, especially in large, earthen dams like Oroville. Seepage is measured and collected through a drainage system.

There were 56 piezometers originally installed in the dam fifty years ago which, as anticipated, have since stopped functioning. DWR plans to install additional piezometers throughout the facility in the coming years.

Full Story