Oroville Dam Archives

Spillway Could Be Used Next Week, DWR Says

The newly-renovated Oroville Dam spillway could be used as early as next week, the state Department of Water Resources said Tuesday. DWR is “closely monitoring Oroville reservoir levels and current forecasts,” the water agency said in a press release. With storms forecast in the Feather River basin, DWR said it is taking steps to prepare for use of the main spillway by the first week of April. Although the state water agency said the spillway was usable in October 2017 if needed, water has not flowed in significant amounts since the spillway crisis in February 2017, when a hole in the enormous concrete structure led to use of the emergency spillway concrete weir for the first time in history and eventually the evacuation of more than 188,000 downstream residents.

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Millions Of Californians’ Water Bills Could Climb After Trump’s FEMA Won’t Pay $300M For Oroville Dam

March 8, 2019/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Andrea Mora /The Sacramento Beeby Dale Kasler and Ryan Sabalow

Millions of Californians could end up with higher water bills after the Trump administration on Friday announced that federal emergency officials aren’t going to reimburse the state for $306 million in repairs to Oroville Dam stemming from the 2017 spillway crisis. The Federal Emergency Management Agency said federal taxpayers shouldn’t have to pay for problems that existed prior to a massive hole forming in the dam’s concrete spillway in February 2017, eventually prompting the two-day evacuation of 188,000 downstream residents and a $1.1 billion emergency response and repair job.

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Federal Disaster Agency Rejects $306 Million Request For Oroville Spillway Reimbursement

March 8, 2019/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Andrea Mora /KQED (San Francisco)by Dan Brekke

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has rejected a $306 million reimbursement request from the California Department of Water Resources for work to restore Oroville Dam’s shattered main spillway. The state agency says it will appeal the decision, made earlier this week. The rejection comes as construction crews near completion of a two-year project to replace the spillway, which began to disintegrate during water releases in February 2017, and reinforce a severely eroded adjoining hillside that was meant to serve as an emergency spillway.

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DWR Increasing Hyatt Powerplant Releases, Water Reaches Oroville Dam Spillway Gates

March 7, 2019/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Andrea Mora /Oroville Mercury-Registerby Risa Johnson

The state Department of Water Resources plans to increase releases from Hyatt Powerplant to prepare for forecasted weather and water storage considerations. Lake Oroville was at 817 feet elevation, about 67.6 percent of its total capacity, on Wednesday afternoon. DWR said in a press release Tuesday that 10-day projections showed the lake reaching 835 feet on March 15. DWR plans to increase outflows from Hyatt Powerplant from 5,000 cubic feet per second, or cfs, to 7,000 cfs. “As updated forecasts are issued, DWR may consider increasing or decreasing outflow by using Hyatt Powerplant and/or the main spillway, to manage lake levels,” the department stated in a press release.

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Water Seeping Down Reconstructed Oroville Dam Spillway

March 6, 2019/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Andrea Mora /Redding Record Searchlightby David Benda

Water is starting to seep down the rebuilt Oroville Dam spillway. California Department of Water Resources officials said Wednesday this is common and will not affect the operation of the dam’s gates, which are not watertight. “Once the lake reaches or exceeds the elevation of the entrance gates (813 feet) a small amount of water is expected to seep through the gates as they are not watertight,” water resources spokeswoman Erin Mellon said. “This is common and does not affect the operation of the gates nor the spillway.”

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Lake Oroville Continues To Rise As Hyatt Powerplant Releases Stay Steady

March 5, 2019/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /Chico Enterprise-Recordby Risa Johnson

Lake Oroville has risen by about 10 feet over the past few days while outflows from the Hyatt Powerplant have held steady. This comes as the state Department of Water Resources announced on Friday that releases from the powerplant were being increased from 1,750 cubic feet per second to 5,000 cfs. The lake level on Monday afternoon was 811 feet elevation, which is 65 percent of its total capacity. Ten-day projections show the lake reaching 835 feet on March 14, according to DWR. The department has said it does not anticipate that it will utilize the Oroville Dam spillway anytime soon; however, crews have been making preparations in case its use becomes necessary.

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OPINION: Major Milestone Achieved At Ronald B. Robie Thermalito Pumping-Generating Plant In Oroville

March 4, 2019/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /California Department of Water Resources

This past December, the Department of Water Resources (DWR) reconnected electricity from Pacific Gas & Electric’s Table Mountain Substation to the Ronald B. Robie Thermalito Pumping-Generating Plant in Oroville, a major step towards returning the plant to full operation. A fire in November 2012 destroyed the plant’s operating capacity, requiring closure of the facility and its disconnection from the state’s electrical grid.

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Oroville Dam Staying Low To Provide Room For Wet Weather, Possible Use Of Reconstructed Spillway

February 27, 2019/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /Chico Enterprise-Recordby Robin Epley

Oroville Dam is currently the only reservoir in the state that’s below average elevation — but that’s on purpose, said the state’s Department of Water Resources. “If the lake begins to rise very quickly in the coming weeks due to large storms and increased inflows, then DWR may consider using outflow mechanisms,” the department said in a press release. That could include using the main spillway for the first time since it was rebuilt. The reservoir is currently at 55 percent of total capacity, said DWR’s assistant director of public communications, Erin Mellon. That’s about 80 percent of average.

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

February 22, 2019/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Andrea Mora /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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Another Looming Climate Disaster: Dam Collapses

February 13, 2019/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /BuzzFeed (New York)by Dan Vergano

Major dams in California are five times more likely to flood this century than the last one due to global warming, a new study finds, possibly leading to overtopping and catastrophic failures that threaten costly repairs and evacuations. That means Californians can expect more disasters like the Oroville Dam, whose overflow channel failed in 2017 after days of flooding had filled state reservoirs to 85% of their capacity, leading to the evacuation of more than 180,000 people and losses of around $300 million.

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