OROVILLE (KMJ) — Levels at Lake Oroville are dropping, potentially minimizing the danger presented by problems with the emergency spillway at the Oroville Dam.
The amount of water falling from the skies has prompted the run-off channel to be utilized for the first time in its nearly 50 year history.
Problems with it have exacerbated over the past few days. Water traveling over it has caused sections to erode, prompting concerns that officials could lose control of the flow.
That could bring a wall of water cascading onto nearby communities, therefore prompting the evacuation of those living nearby.
“When we water coming over the top of the emergency spillway, it was beginning to erode the ground. And when you start to erode the ground, then the dirt and everything else starts to roll off the hill, it starts to undermine itself.”
It all comes after damage was discovered at the primary spillway, last week.
“I recognize how tough this situation is on people”, explains Butte County Sheriff Korey Honea. “I recognize that we’ve had to displace a lot of people…we needed to do that to ensure the public safety.”
The emergency effort has seen local, state, and federal crews working together to maintain calm while more than 100,000 people have been asked to leave their homes.
The Governor’s Office of Emergency Services has activated the operations center in Mather to its highest level. It’s currently unknown when the evacuation notice will be lifted.
— CAL FIRE (@CAL_FIRE) February 13, 2017
Hear the report from KMJ’s Dominic McAndrew as it aired:
