Emergency Evacuation Issued for Oroville Dam, CA Area Due to Potential Emergency Spillway Failure | “THIS IS NOT A DRILL”

SnowBrains |

video of the emergency spillway at Oroville Dam, CA yesterday at 11am

Butte County, CA officials fear that the Oroville dam emergency spillway is going to fail today.  Emergency evacuations have been issued.  This is not a drill.

The California Department of Water Resources issued this evacuation advisory at approximately 4:40pm PST today just 4 hours after holding press conference informing the public that they didn’t anticipate emergency spillway failure nor dam failure nor evacuations.

Lake Oroville is the 2nd largest reservoir in California behind Lake Shasta.

BUTTE COUNTY, CA SHERIFF PRESS RELEASE TODAY at 5pm PST:

This is an evacuation order.

Immediate evacuation from the low levels of Oroville and areas downstream is ordered.

A hazardous situation is developing with the Oroville Dam auxiliary [emergency] spillway. Operation of the auxiliary [emergency] spillway has lead to severe erosion that could lead to a failure of the structure. Failure of the auxiliary spillway structure will result in an uncontrolled release of flood waters from Lake Oroville. In response to this developing situation, DWR is increasing water releases to 100,000 cubic feet per second.

Immediate evacuation from the low levels of Oroville and areas downstream is ordered.

This in NOT A Drill. This in NOT A Drill. This in NOT A Drill.

– Butte County Sheriff’s Office, today at 5pm

 

MORE INFO:

VIDEO: Lake Oroville, CA is FULL & Using “Emergency Spillway” For First Time in 48-Year History – yesterday

The damaged spillway at Oroville Dam, CA yesterday. image: CA DWR
Map showing location of Lake Oroville, CA.
Oroville dam, CA and emergency spillway. image: krcrtv.com
Initial Oroville dam spillway damage that was 250′ wide and 40′ deep. This original damage lead to the complete destruction of the spillway.
Map showing damaged spillway, emergency spillway, and Oroville Dam.
10 of California’s major reservoirs are above 100% of average to date. image: nrcs, yesterday
NorCal is on track to have its wettest year on record. “With all this rain, how are we stacking up? The northern Sierra 8-station precipitation index is running 228% of average for this date. We’d still need an additional 21 inches to surpass the wettest water year on record (1982-1983).” – NOAA, yesterday
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