Lake Oroville levels fall as work continues at emergency spillway

February 19, 2017 By Jim Muir Leave a Comment

Water gushes over the emergency spillway of Oroville dam. With heavy rains approaching, the threat of failure still remains. (AP file photo)

Water gushes over the emergency spillway of Oroville dam. With heavy rains approaching, the threat of failure still remains. (AP file photo)

OROVILLE, CA – (Andre Byik -Oroville Mercury-Register Please click on this link to read the following stories and to keep updated on this story from Oroville’s local newspaper. Here is an excerpt.) The surface water elevation at Lake Oroville continued to drop Sunday morning, nearing a goal of 850 feet previously set by the California Department of Water Resources despite a bout of wet weather that has flooded highways and roads throughout the north state. As of 1 p.m. Sunday, the elevation of the reservoir was 852 feet, which was down about 49 feet when water began flowing over the emergency spillway at Oroville Dam Feb. 11. Water releases down the damaged main spillway were measured at 55,000 cubic-feet per second, with inflow into the lake measured at 28,000 cfs. Officials expected outflows to outpace inflows Sunday, and the reduction in flows down the main spillway has allowed crews to view debris buildup and dredge debris piles below the chute.

Filed Under: Breaking News, National News

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