There have been concerns about Oroville Dam safety since the erosion was discovered Tuesday at the primary spillway at Oroville Dam. The crippled primary spillway last week was unable to release a sufficient amount of water to keep up with inflows from the plentiful rains in the surrounding area.
Oroville Dam is located in the foothills of the western Sierra Nevada mountain range. The pressure is on state officials to resolve the spillway crisis at Oroville since the heavy snowfall in the Sierras will be melting in the spring and bring more water to area reservoirs.
By Saturday, the reservoir reached its elevation capacity of 901 feet, which automatically triggered the emergency spillway. At noon on Sunday the elevation topped 902 feet but by 10 p.m. it was at 900 feet and declining, according to the DWR data website.
DWR reiterated Sunday that “Oroville Dam itself is sound,” explaining that the dam built in the late 1960s is actually “a separate structure” from the emergency spillway.
DWR said Saturday the cost to repair the primary spillway was estimated to be as much as $200 million. With the significant damage to the emergency spillway, the price tag on repairs could go much higher.
