Legislation Aimed At Preventing Another Oroville Dam Emergency Moves Forward

NORTH BAY, CA -- Assembly Bill 884, which would mandate more in-depth inspections of all state-run dams in California, has passed the Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee with unanimous support. The legislation was introduced Feb. 16 by Assemblymember Marc Levine (D-Marin County).

Proponents say that the legislation, which the committee approved April 25, would ensure that when reservoir emergencies occur, Californians living downstream could be confident that emergency systems work as planned.

“Visual inspections are not good enough when the potential failure of a reservoir put people’s lives in danger and places California’s water supply at risk,” said Assemblymember Levine, who represents the 10th Assembly District, which includes Marin and Sonoma Counties. “As California’s water infrastructure ages, the Department of Water Resources must take annual inspections of vital infrastructure seriously; the public deserves more than a visual inspection.”

In 2005, environmental groups warned the Department of Water Resources (DWR) and federal regulators that the emergency spillway was at risk for failure. Since that warning, inspectors performed an annual visual inspection, and consistently deemed the spillway as appearing 'stable.’

However, the Oroville Dam main spillway was likely damaged by swift water flows under the concrete chute, which were cracked and of uneven thickness. In early February, heavy erosion caused the emergency spillway to fail for the first time in its history, and created a dangerous situation for residents downriver. The emergency spillway failed after just 12,600 cubic feet per second of water was discharged, less than 10 percent of the emergency spillway’s capacity.

Despite the initial damage, DWR engineers were able to increase the discharge from the main spillway and a flood disaster was avoided. More than 200,000 Californians were evacuated during the emergency and repair costs are expected to reach over $200 million.

AB 884 now moves on to the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

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