In California water news this weekend, Oroville Dam spillway flows reduced; rain on the way; Releasing water at Oroville Dam still a lingering problem; Oroville Dam: Cause of emergency won’t be known for a long time, state says; Two dams illustrate challenge of maintaining older designs; Another California dam grapples with flood danger; Oroville shows importance of flood insurance; Assemblyman Allen introduces bill to take high speed rail money for completing the State Water Project; California ‘bombogenesis’, biggest storm in years, kills four; all the dam news and more …
In Oroville dam news this weekend …
Oroville Dam spillway flows reduced; rain on the way: “For the first time in more than a week, there was no official press conference, but releases continue to flow from the Oroville Dam spillway Saturday as another storm is expected Sunday. Lake Oroville is going down, and it is about 47 feet below the emergency spillway. As of 6 p.m. Saturday, the lake was at 853.92 feet, which is about 4 feet lower than Friday at the same time. … ” Read more from the Chico Enterprise-Record here: Oroville Dam spillway flows reduced; rain on the way
Oroville releases slow as levee work continues: “The Department of Water Resources continued reducing its releases out of Lake Oroville on Saturday as crews worked on the levee system along the Feather River in Yuba-Sutter to ready it for upcoming storms. Releases were cut from about 70,000 cubic feet per second on Saturday morning to about 55,000 cfs by Saturday night to allow crews to remove debris that had built up around a powerhouse directly below the dam and to alleviate some pressure on the levee system downriver. The dam held 2.86 million acre-feet Saturday night. Its capacity is 3.5 million acre-feet. ... ” Read more from the Appeal-Democrat here: Oroville releases slow as levee work continues
Releasing water at Oroville Dam still a lingering problem: “Even before Lake Oroville reached a crisis point last weekend when it swelled to its brim and saw both of its spillways badly damaged, operators of the nation’s tallest dam were concerned about “drawdown capacity” — their ability to make adequate downstream releases of water at the reservoir. Not only were a set of outflow valves taken out of service after a near-fatal accident eight years ago, records show, but also managers of the massive state-run reservoir wanted additional ways to release water from the lake. While it’s unclear if expanding the lake’s discharge capacity would have averted the recent problems — which included the evacuation of nearly 200,000 people from downstream communities on the Feather River — the records highlight the ongoing and complicated safety demands of the nearly 50-year-old dam. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle here: Releasing water at Oroville Dam still a lingering problem
Oroville Dam: Cause of emergency won’t be known for a long time, state says: “Investigators probing the ongoing Oroville Dam emergency won’t know for some time whether cracks, cavitation or some other monumental engineering failure caused the collapse of the massive concrete spillway at Oroville Dam, the head of the state Department of Water Resources said Friday. Asked about a story in this newspaper Friday morning that cited prominent independent dam engineers saying that cavitation — a process in which fast-moving water can create explosive vapor pockets that can shatter concrete — is a leading possibility in the cause of the Oroville crisis, acting DWR Director Bill Croyle said his main priority right now is stabilizing the emergency. ... ” Read more from the San Jose Mercury News here: Oroville Dam: Cause of emergency won’t be known for a long time, state says
Feather River fish hatchery adjusting to innovations that saved millions of fish: “A layer of mud about two-inches thick remains at the bottom of a 1,200-foot-long concrete tank at the Feather River Fish Hatchery in Oroville. Nearby, the Feather River still runs high, brown and murky. As dark as the flow appeared Saturday, things were worse a week ago. Too much sediment in water can clog the gills of fish, especially tiny fish that have only recently left the egg-incubation stage. That’s true for fish in the river, as well as fish at the hatchery, where Feather River water flows. To avert a crisis, about five million fish, including two million endangered spring-run salmon, were moved to a smaller hatchery near the Thermalito Afterbay. … ” Read more from the Chico Enterprise-Record here: Feather River fish hatchery adjusting to innovations that saved millions of fish
Downstream from stricken Oroville Dam, Feather River hatchery manages to save millions of fish: “On Friday, the staff at the Feather River Fish Hatchery, just downstream from the stricken Oroville Dam, took stock of their losses, gave thanks for their victories and girded for a long, hard recovery after being inundated with debris-laden water the color of chocolate milk. A few thousand Chinook salmon fry didn’t make it. But millions of others survived, as did 1 million federally endangered steelhead trout eggs. … ” Read more from the LA Times here: Downstream from stricken Oroville Dam, Feather River hatchery manages to save millions of fish
Simulation shows Oroville Dam spillway failure: “Water managers issued evacuation orders for nearly 200,000 Californians just hours before they thought an emergency spillway at Oroville dam could fail. Emergency officials said it would send a 30 foot wall of water downstream. That might be hard to imagine, but a computer simulation by UC Santa Cruz research geophysicist Steven Ward shows flood waters would hit highway 70 in about 30 minutes. In less than three hours, it would hit Highway 99. After 9 hours, it would fan out to cover a 231-square mile area. Ward says it would be a massive wave near Oroville. The videos of the main spillway releasing 100,000 cubic feet per second pale in comparison. … ” Read more from Capital Public Radio here: Simulation shows Oroville Dam spillway failure
Government severely misjudged strength of Oroville emergency spillway, sparking crisis: “Bill Croyle stood in front of an aerial photo of Lake Oroville and swept his hand across the top of the emergency spillway that was helping drain water out of the brimming reservoir. “Solid rock. All this is rock,” Croyle, acting director of the Department of Water Resources, said with an air of confidence at the Feb. 11 briefing. The flows over the concrete lip of the unpaved spillway were tiny compared with what it was designed to handle. Oroville’s first-ever emergency spill was going smoothly. Some 27 hours later, state officials told Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea that erosion was chewing away at the base of the spillway’s concrete lip. It was on the verge of collapse, threatening to send a towering wall of flood water surging through downstream communities, endangering tens of thousands of people. Honea ordered a mass evacuation. … ” Read more from the LA Times here: Government severely misjudged strength of Oroville emergency spillway, sparking crisis
Living beneath a wall of water: Can Oroville residents trust the dam will hold? “The music was snapped off, and the lunchtime chatter at the Keg Room quieted down. Bartender Vivian Jenkins cranked up the volume on the two TVs hanging over the bar as “The Young and the Restless” ended and the real daytime drama came onscreen: the noon media briefing from Oroville Dam, 3 miles up the road. Friday’s episode brought encouraging news. Progress was being made on releasing water from Lake Oroville, while work crews continued to patch the dam’s troubled emergency spillway. Kory Honea, the Butte County sheriff, reminded viewers “we’re still operating under an emergency situation” and they needed to be ready to flee. “Just waiting for the wall of water to come out,” said Dan Hill, 61, as he sipped a glass of red wine, before quickly adding: “You’ve got to make light of this.” … ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee here: Living beneath a wall of water: Can Oroville residents trust the dam will hold?
Inmates take part in emergency crisis at Oroville Dam: “State prison inmates have been among the workers rushed to help deal with the crisis at Oroville Dam. Last weekend, as many as 250 inmates were at the site, and Wednesday, 24 inmates in two work crews were still helping clear loose material from the dam’s badly eroded emergency spillway to prevent debris from being washed into the waterway below. In addition to receiving training for their work outside prison walls, inmates are paid $2 a day. … ” Read more from KQED here: Inmates take part in emergency crisis at Oroville Dam
In other news this weekend …
Two dams illustrate challenge of maintaining older designs: “Twelve years ago, widespread destruction from Hurricane Katrina on the Gulf Coast helped compel federal engineers 2,000 miles away in California to remake a 1950s-era dam by constructing a massive steel-and-concrete gutter that would manage surging waters in times of torrential storms. The nearly $1 billion auxiliary spillway at Folsom Dam, scheduled to be completed later this year, stands in contrast to the troubles 75 miles away at the state-run Oroville Dam, where thousands of people fled last week after an eroded spillway threatened to collapse — a catastrophe that could have sent a 30-foot wall of floodwater gushing into three counties. Together, the two dams illustrate widely diverging conditions at the more than 1,000 dams across California, most of them decades old. The structures also underscore the challenge of maintaining older dams with outdated designs. ... ” Continue reading at the Fresno Bee here: Two dams illustrate challenge of maintaining older designs
Another California dam grapples with flood danger: “With yet another major rainstorm pelting California, water agencies around the state are preparing for flooding, as the state’s infrastructure strains under the onslaught of water. Officials are still working to lower the water level behind Oroville Dam, where last Sunday rising waters threatened to cause a catastrophic failure of the auxiliary spillway — but another reservoir is expected to use its auxiliary spillway for the first time in 20 years, potentially causing flooding downstream. Don Pedro Reservoir, which supplies water to nearly 6,000 farms in the San Joaquin Valley, has filled quickly in the last month, rising above levels recommended by flood control engineers. … ” Read more from KQED here: Another California dam grapples with flood danger
Two dams may spill over: “Another atmospheric river closing in on California may finally push two key reservoirs over the brim on the Tuolumne and Mokelumne rivers. Don Pedro Reservoir, southeast of Stockton, could spill by Tuesday, officials said late Friday. Don Pedro is of special concern because it feeds into the San Joaquin River, which is already at or near flood stage. If Don Pedro spills, the release is not expected to be anywhere near what happened in 1997, said Brandon McMillan, a spokesman for the Turlock Irrigation District, which owns the dam. … ” Read more from the Stockton Record here: Two dams may spill over
Oroville shows importance of flood insurance: “The near-disaster at Lake Oroville last week shows once again why homeowners and renters might consider buying flood insurance, even if their lender does not require it. Anyone with a federally backed mortgage is required to have flood insurance if they live in a high-risk zone known as a special flood hazard area. However, the vast majority of the nearly 200,000 people evacuated downstream from Lake Oroville do not live in high-risk zones. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle here: Oroville shows importance of flood insurance
California farmers use floodwaters to replenish aquifers: “As dam managers were draining water from a Northern Californian reservoir this week to avert what could have been one of the worst flood disasters in the state’s history, Southern California farmer Don Cameron was doing something different with the watery winter excess. Using a network of levees and irrigation gates, Cameron inundated the orchards, vineyards and vegetable and alfalfa fields of Terranova Ranch, a farm in Fresno County that he manages, using the power of gravity to drive water back into an ailing underground aquifer. … ” Read more from Climate Central here: California farmers use floodwaters to replenish aquifers
California’s water problems: Too little and too much: “During the boom years of California growth, the Golden State’s future seemed golden. State government rose to meet the biggest challenge to continued prosperity: supplying more fresh water for intensive agriculture and rapid population growth. During the administration of Democratic Gov. Pat Brown, from 1959 to 1967, the state created a water project to build 10 dams and reservoirs, 700 miles of canals and pipelines, and eight hydroelectric power plants to send water from Northern California to cities and farms in central and Southern California. … ” Read more from Barron’s here: California’s water problems: Too little and too much
Assemblyman Allen introduces bill to take high speed rail money for completing the State Water Project: “The Huntington Beach Republican wants to “secure California’s water system first and foremost” instead of squandering billions of high-speed rail money. Assemblyman Travis Allen (R-Huntington Beach) introduced Assembly Bill 1442 which will redirect funding from the bungled California High Speed Rail into completing the California State Water Project, which was started but not completed by Jerry Brown’s father Pat Brown over 50 years ago. “For the last three years, Jerry Brown and the California Democrats have been more interested in telling Californians how to kill their lawns and calling for “shower cops” than actually fixing our broken water system in California,” said Assemblyman Travis Allen. ... ” Read more from the Orange County Breeze here: Assemblyman Allen introduces bill to take high speed rail money for completing the State Water Project
Water diverters must meet April 1 deadline under new measurement reporting requirement: “The State Water Resource Control Board’s Division of Water Rights is reminding water diverters that they must file annual use reports for the 2016 calendar year by April 1 under the new measurement regulation. The regulation requires that diversions greater than 10 acre-feet per annum be measured using equipment which meets specified accuracy requirements. The measurement requirement is being phased in, with larger diverters required to measure first. … ” Read more from ACWA’s Water News here: Water diverters must meet April 1 deadline under new measurement reporting requirement
California ‘bombogenesis’, biggest storm in years, kills four: (Maven note: Bombogenesis? Haven’t heard that one before!): “One of California’s strongest storms in years – dubbed a “bombogenesis” or “weather bomb” – has hit the state, killing at least four people and bringing torrential rain and floods. Power cuts hit 150,000 households and sinkholes swallowed cars. Hundreds of homes were evacuated amid fear of mud slides near Los Angeles. More gusts, heavy rain and flash floods are expected on Saturday but the storm is due to subside by Sunday. … ” Read more from the BBC here: California ‘bombogenesis’, biggest storm in years, kills four
As Southern California rain eases, Northern California faces renewed storm: “A huge Pacific storm that parked itself over Southern California and unloaded, ravaging roads, opening sinkholes and leading to the deaths of at least two people, eased off Saturday but it was only a temporary reprieve as new storms took aim farther north. The National Weather Service predicted drying weather through Sunday followed by the return of wet weather in the region. But while flash flood watches for Southern California were canceled, Northern California and the San Francisco Bay Area were facing a weekend return of heavy rain and winds that lashed them earlier in the week before the storm moves out. … ” Read more from KQED here: As Southern California rain eases, Northern California faces renewed storm
And lastly … Photo gallery: Eye-opening effects of drought-killing storms: “You didn’t think the end of the five-year drought would come without a price to be paid, did you? The wettest winter in the Bay Area in decades (so far) has left parts of Northern California reeling from storm damage, flooded rivers, floating piles of debris and major erosion. … ” View photo gallery here: Eye-opening effects of drought-killing storms
In commentary this weekend …
The bill comes due for our re-engineered way of life, says the Sacramento Bee: They write, “No disaster is entirely natural in our re-engineered state and valley. Owing to our hubris, we humans have a direct hand in them all. We have built cities on earthquake faults, balanced mansions on hillsides that burn in one season and slide into the ocean in the next, and moor boats in marinas where tsunamis are known to strike. Having dammed almost all major rivers in California and many tributaries and creeks, we have constructed entire cities in what a century or 150 years ago was swamp, and made islands of rocks piled on peat. … ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee here: The bill comes due for our re-engineered way of life
California has its own Flint, needs funding for safe drinking water: Jenny Rempel, Jennifer Clary, and Phoebe Seaton write, “Almost 300 communities in California are not meeting safe drinking water standards. A new website by the State Water Resources Control Board provides a striking visual representation of a fact known in the water community for years: More people in California are without access to safe drinking water than the population of Flint, Mich. Flint was the canary in the coal mine for safe drinking water: All across the country, and particularly in California, low-income communities and communities of color are disproportionately impacted by unsafe drinking water. We know this because our organizing efforts have built relationships with people whose health is suffering as a direct result. ... ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee here: California has its own Flint, needs funding for safe drinking water
Where is all the money for dams?, asks Carolyn Cavecche: She writes, “As a taxpayer, I have some basic expectations. When I dial 9-1-1 I want a police officer or firefighter to arrive at my house as quickly as possible. I expect streets and roads to be drivable, and traffic signals to work properly. I want clean water when I turn on the faucet, and I expect it all to go away when I flush. And I would like the local dam to not fall apart. Californians pay a lot of taxes to cover these services, and will happily pay the user fees necessary to pay for items that are not covered by our taxes. … ” Continue reading at the OC Register here: Where is all the money for dams?
In regional news and commentary this weekend …
North state braces for severe weather as I-5 floods: “Although the sun peeked out for part of Saturday in Redding, residents elsewhere dealt with flooding at their homes and on major roadways as Northern Californians braced for heavy rains that are expected to return Sunday and Monday. The National Weather Service said downpours are expected Sunday night with gusts as high as 30 miles per hour. That trend is expected to continue through most of Monday, when it’s expected to be breezy with gusts between 9 and 14 mph during the morning, and increasing to as high as 45 mph. Between 2 and 3 inches of rain are expected to fall from Sunday through Tuesday. ... ” Read more from the Redding Record Searchlight here: North state braces for severe weather as I-5 floods
Residents have little warning as floodwaters inundate town: “Blanca Velasquez, 31, was sloshing ankle-deep up and down flooded San Francisco Street in the small Northern California farming town of Maxwell on Saturday afternoon with an iPhone pressed to her ear, trying to find a clear signal to reach worried friends and relatives. She, like many neighbors, was awakened in the early morning hours by sheriff’s deputies banging on the front door and yelling, “It’s flooding! Get out! Get out!” ... ” Read more from the LA Times here: Residents have little warning as floodwaters inundate town
Hamilton City levee holding along Sacramento River: “Only a few feet in river elevation make the difference between flooding and no flooding along the Sacramento River in Hamilton City. The town, just across the river along Highway 32, has had its share of wet roads. As of Friday afternoon, the river was down to a more comfortable 143 feet and expected to edge up early next week to just below the “minor flood stage,” tracked online by the National Weather Service. Major flood stage is at 151 feet, and moderate is just a foot below that. … ” Read more from the Oroville Mercury Register here: Hamilton City levee holding along Sacramento River
Santa Clara County: Anderson Reservoir spills over for the first time in 11 years: “Anderson Reservoir reached maximum capacity early Saturday morning and began spilling over for the first time since 2006, the latest sign of this year’s enormously wet winter. Normally that would be a cause for celebration after years of devastating drought. But the development is worrisome because state and federal regulators have directed the Santa Clara Valley Water District to cap storage at 68 percent, or 61,810 acre-feet of water, to avoid a catastrophic flood in the event a major earthquake causes Anderson’s dam to fail. ... ” Read more from the San Jose Mercury News here: Santa Clara County: Anderson Reservoir spills over for the first time in 11 years
Stockton: Levee break warning issued: “For the first time since flooding problems began in January, the San Joaquin River on Saturday was expected to reach “danger” stage at Vernalis. With an “intense” atmospheric river storm aimed at California starting tonight, the San Joaquin County Office of Emergency Services warned residents in the area southwest of Manteca to be prepared to evacuate should a levee break. Specifically, their recommendation applies to those west of Union Road, south of Nile Road, and north and east of the river. ... ” Read more from the Stockton Record here: Levee break warning issued
San Joaquin County gearing up for potential of damaging flood waters: “Surrounded by horses, Della Gaar has enough to worry about. “Fourteen of them are rescue horses that belong to our animal rescue in Lathrop,” said Gaar. Along with rehabbing the equines and mules, she has an arena for riders. But less than a mile away is the San Joaquin River and if it breaks, the rescue must move 40 animals. “We have drivers lined up and trailers lined up to move them out,” Gaar said. … ” Read more from ABC 10 here: San Joaquin County gearing up for potential of damaging flood waters
Flood threat: Don Pedro Spillway to open if storm delivers forecasted rain: “The Turlock Irrigation District said the spillway on Don Pedro Dam will be opened early next week if the forecasted rain from a large storm occurs. TID spokesman Brandon McMillan said it’s all a matter of how much rain comes with the storm due Monday and Tuesday, which could drop close to 5 inches of rain in the watershed above the dam in western Tuolumne County. “We are required to open the spillway when Don Pedro is at 830 elevation,” the spokesman said Friday. “With the current forecast, it shows it will be reaching 830 feet.” ... ” Read more from the Modesto Bee here: Flood threat: Don Pedro Spillway to open if storm delivers forecasted rain
Merced County braces for potential weekend flooding: “Emergency responders went door to door and Public Works crews cleared channels to prepare Merced County for another onslaught of storms that have the potential to cause more flooding over the weekend. With the region’s reservoirs near capacity, authorities are releasing water into local rivers and creeks to clear space for more precipitation. The National Weather Service in Hanford issued a flood warning Friday afternoon for areas along the Merced River that was to stay in effect until further notice. The Merced River at Stevinson is expected to approach 73 feet early Sunday with continued rise expected, the weather service said. Flood stage is considered 71 feet. ... ” Read more from the Merced Sun Star here: Merced County braces for potential weekend flooding
Fresno: A new Brandau billboard campaign spreads pro-dam, pro-water message: “Again with the billboards?! Fresno City Councilman Steve Brandau is at it again, bringing a populist pro-water message to Valley roadsides with a handful of new billboards paid for by the Taxpayers Association of Central California. The billboards show a portrait of President Donald Trump and the message: “Mr. President, we need: 1. Water 2. Dams 3. Fish” – except that “fish” is prominently crossed out, a dig at federal environmental rules that limit pumping at the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta to protect endangered aquatic species. The billboards also feature Brandau’s signature as a Fresno city councilman. … ” Read more from the Fresno Bee here: Fresno: A new Brandau billboard campaign spreads pro-dam, pro-water message
Kings County starts climate impact study: “The state was offering a grant to counties to study and prepare for local effects of climate change, and Kings County went for it. This week, county supervisors accepted $9,900 in federal money funneled through the state to have employees at the Kings County Department of Public Health conduct the study, which should finish up in May. Although they accepted the grant, Kings County supervisors aren’t necessarily fully on board with California’s aggressive push to reduce human activity, such as the burning of fossil fuels that the vast majority of scientists say is contributing to climate change. … ” Read more from the Hanford Sentinel here: Kings County starts climate impact study
Lake Cachuma rising fast after potent winter storm moves on: “It wasn’t quite the “March Miracle,” but the potent winter storm that dumped copious amounts of rain on Santa Barbara County on Friday has provided a huge boost to the area’s water supplies. Mostly notably, as of early afternoon Saturday, Lake Cachuma had risen some 25 feet since midnight Thursday, swelled by heavy flows from the Santa Ynez River as well as the many smaller creeks in the watershed and there’s much more to come. … ” Read more from Noozhawk here: Lake Cachuma rising fast after potent winter storm moves on
Ridgecrest: Groundwater Authority approves bylaws: “Patience had run dry and humor was scarcer than water in the desert by the end of Thursday’s IWV Groundwater Authority board meeting, which ran nearly four hours. And yet, a careful observer of the IWVGA meeting could see signs of life. It was the second monthly IWVGA meeting in a row that ran this long with little to show for it. Last month’s marathon meeting yielded a lot of talk but no meaningful action, other than the goal of making a Plan of Action for the future. While this month’s meeting didn’t get the IWVGA off to a sprint, it at least ended with visible steps in the sand toward its goal of forming a Groundwater Sustainability Plan. … ” Read more the Ridgecrest Independent here: Ridgecrest: Groundwater Authority approves bylaws
Along the Colorado River …
Wet winter might help Colorado River push off problems, but it will not end the drought: “California is not the only place in the West confronting startling amounts of rain and snow. Drought conditions have declined substantially across the region in recent weeks, with heavy storms replenishing reservoirs and piling fresh powder on ski resorts. Yet there is one place where the precipitation has been particularly welcome and could be transformative: the Colorado River basin, which provides water to nearly 40 million people across seven states. “We’re in a really good spot as far as snow accumulations,” said Malcolm Wilson, who leads the Bureau of Reclamation’s water resources group in the upper Colorado River basin. … ” Read more from the LA Times here: Wet winter might help Colorado River push off problems, but it will not end the drought
Precipitation watch …
Also on Maven’s Notebook this weekend …
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About the Daily Digest: The Daily Digest is a collection of selected news articles, commentaries and editorials appearing in the mainstream press. Items are generally selected to follow the focus of the Notebook blog. The Daily Digest is published every weekday with a weekend edition posting on Sundays.
Maven’s Notebook
where California water news never goes home for the weekend
