A new report from Fox News on Sunday indicates that if the Oroville dam fails, residents who live in harms way will most likely will be advised in time which adds to the mounting stress as new storms pound California.
Communities immediately downstream of California’s Lake Oroville dam would not receive adequate warning or time for evacuations if the 770-foot-tall dam itself — rather than its spillways — were to abruptly fail, the state water agency that operates the nation’s tallest dam repeatedly advised federal regulators a half-decade ago.
Reuters is now reporting that large parts of Northern California are being place on a flood advisory as new storms pound Northern California
The storm is expected to drop as much as 5 inches (13 cm) of rain in the San Francisco region through Wednesday, bringing more water to already saturated land that has been inundated with heavy precipitation since early January, the National Weather Service said.
“We could see flooding in areas that haven’t flooded in a long time and there will be additional stress on levees, rivers, creeks & streams,” the service said.
“The heaviest rainfall and higher elevation snow will be from Monday through Tuesday,” it said.
It added the Sierra Nevada mountain area could receive as much as 40 inches (101 cm) of new snow.
Fortunately there are no new warnings for the areas near the Oroville dam which is roughly 150 miles northeast of San Francisco.
New photos have been released by the California Department of Water Resources that show the significant damage at the Oroville dam and the spillway.
Airlifted by helicopter, a specialist works on the power lines near the Oroville Dam main spillway in Oroville, California, on February 18, 2017. Florence Low / California Department of Water ResourcesThe Oroville Dam main spillway is flowing at 55,000 cubic feet per second at the Oroville Dam in Oroville, California, allowing engineers to get a better look at the damaged spillway at Lake Oroville in California. Oroville is a city in Butte County. Photo taken in the late afternoon of February 18, 2017. Florence Low / California Department of Water ResourcesDespite current inclement weather, work continues on the area below the Oroville Dam emergency spillway, located in Oroville, California. Rock, aggregate, and cement slurry continue to be placed into areas affected by erosion. This work will continue 24 hours a day. The California Department of Water Resources continues to aggressively monitor the status of the dam, spillways, the Hyatt Power Plant, related structures, and progress of repair activities. Photo taken on February 19, 2017. Florence Low / California Department of Water ResourcesThe California Department of Water Resources continues to examine and repair the erosion below the Oroville Dam auxiliary spillway. More than 125 construction crews are working around the clock, and placing 1,200 tons of material on the spillway per hour using helicopters and heavy construction equipment at the Butte County site. Photo taken February 18, 2017. Florence Low / California Department of Water ResourcesThe California Department of Water Resources continues to examine and repair the erosion below the Oroville Dam auxiliary spillway. More than 125 construction crews are working around the clock, and placing 1,200 tons of material on the spillway per hour using helicopters and heavy construction equipment at the Butte County site. Photo taken February 18, 2017. Florence Low / California Department of Water ResourcesThe California Department of Water Resources continues to examine and repair the erosion below the Oroville Dam auxiliary spillway. More than 125 construction crews are working around the clock, and placing 1,200 tons of material on the spillway per hour using helicopters and heavy construction equipment at the Butte County site. Photo taken February 18, 2017. Florence Low / California Department of Water ResourcesThe California Department of Water Resources continues to examine and repair the erosion below the Oroville Dam auxiliary spillway. More than 125 construction crews are working around the clock, and placing 1,200 tons of material on the spillway per hour using helicopters and heavy construction equipment at the Butte County site. Photo taken February 18, 2017. Florence Low / California Department of Water ResourcesThe California Department of Water Resources continues to examine and repair the erosion below the Oroville Dam auxiliary spillway. More than 125 construction crews are working around the clock, and placing 1,200 tons of material on the spillway per hour using helicopters and heavy construction equipment at the Butte County site. Photo taken February 18, 2017. Florence Low / California Department of Water ResourcesThe California Department of Water Resources continues to examine and repair the erosion below the Oroville Dam auxiliary spillway. More than 125 construction crews are working around the clock, and placing 1,200 tons of material on the spillway per hour using helicopters and heavy construction equipment at the Butte County site. Photo taken February 18, 2017. Florence Low / California Department of Water ResourcesThe California Department of Water Resources continues to examine and repair the erosion below the Oroville Dam auxiliary spillway. More than 125 construction crews are working around the clock, and placing 1,200 tons of material on the spillway per hour using helicopters and heavy construction equipment at the Butte County site. Photo taken February 18, 2017. Florence Low / California Department of Water ResourcesCrews construct a barge to carry excavation equipment, that will dredge debris and sediment that has built up below the flood control spillway at the Oroville Dam in Oroville, California, February 18, 2017. Florence Low / California Department of Water ResourcesWater continues to move down the damaged spillway at Oroville Dam with an outflow of 80,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) on Friday morning. The California Department of Water Resources continues to repair the erosion areas below the Oroville Dam emergency spillway. Photo taken February 17, 2017. Brian Baer/ California Department of Water ResourcesA long line of concrete trucks wait on the top of Oroville Dam to deliver concrete for the erosion repair work at the base of the Oroville Dam emergency spillway. The California Department of Water Resources continues to examine and repair the erosion with more than 125 construction crews working around the clock, and placing 1,200 tons of material on the spillway per hour using helicopters and heavy construction equipment at the Butte County site. Photo taken February 17, 2017. Brian Baer/ California Department of Water ResourcesA worker walks down the damaged roadway near the Oroville Dam emergency spillway. Last weekend overflow waters from the emergency spillway eroded much of the area below the spillway. The California Department of Water Resources continues to examine and repair the erosion with more than 125 construction crews working around the clock, and placing 1,200 tons of material on the spillway per hour using helicopters and heavy construction equipment at the Butte County site. Photo taken February 17, 2017. Brian Baer/ California Department of Water Resources
