‘March Miracle’: Six-Foot Snow Dump Ends California Drought
The “March Miracle” storm system that has lashed California for the last four days, dumping 6 feet of snow in the Sierra Mountains, just ended what appeared to be a new drought.
California Department of Water Resources
California Prepares for Snow, Rain, Mudslides
Warnings have been posted for the risk of mudslides in areas that burned in last year’s wildfires, as bone-dry California looks forward to its best week of rain and snow this winter.
Half of California in Drought as Midwest Forecasts Extreme Flooding
Half of California is officially back in drought, while the Midwest and Plains may suffer from extreme flooding, as the extreme La Niña weather condition intensifies.
California Republicans Demand the State Start Building Promised Reservoirs
California Republican state legislators showed up to the California Water Commission (CWC) this week to demand that $2.7 billion of Proposition 1 Water Bonds be spent to build new reservoirs.
Prop 1: California Water Commission Kills All 12 Proposed Reservoirs
The California Water Commission appears to have killed all 12 of the above-ground storage reservoirs proposed under the voter-approved, $7.5 billion Proposition 1 water bond of 2014 by estimating they will all cost more than their benefits.
California Authorities Worry State Could Run Out of Water Like Cape Town
The California Department of Water Resources hopes to learn from how Cape Town, South Africa, copes with running out of water in the next 90 days.
Oroville Dam Spillway Cracking After $500 Million Repair
The California Department of Water Resources acknowledged this week that many cracks have appeared in the new concrete of the Oroville Dam spillway, which cost over $500 million to repair.
Oroville Dam Investigators: Regulators Never Reviewed Blueprint Defects
California’s Department of Water Resources’ forensic analysis has reported that blueprints for the Oroville Dam and its spillway reveal that design defects were known when the dam opened in 1969.
California Tries to Leverage Hurricane Harvey to Fund $20 Billion Flood Control
California hopes to leverage the attention on Hurricane Harvey flooding to convince the federal government to fund some of the $20 billion needed to repair the dilapidated Central Valley flood control infrastructure.
Warning: 15,498 ‘High-Hazard’ Dams in America
The new American Society of Civil Engineers 2017 Infrastructure Report Card (ASCE) has identified 15,498 high-hazard dams, whose failure could risk loss of life.
Oroville Dam Audit: Forensic Team Blasts State Cut-back on Infrastructure
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FECR) forensic audit of the Oroville Dam Spillway crisis project found that failures were due to inadequate California Department of Water Resources (DWR) maintenance, repair of cracks, thin concrete slabs, poor drainage, and use of weathered rock.
Geologist: Oroville Dam Structurally Flawed as Storms Bring New Flood Risk
With water rising at 15,000 feet per second behind Oroville Dam and two weeks of heavy rain, winds and snow about to be unleashed, a respected geologist is warning that the crumbling of Oroville Dam’s spillway is due to the use of structurally flawed rock.
11 Areas Near Oroville Dam Under Evacuation Warnings
Just as Breitbart News predicted a little over a week ago, temperatures rising to the high 70s are causing an early spring snowmelt that is quickly filling Oroville Lake, causing the local sheriff to issue evacuation warnings for 11 areas downstream of the troubled Oroville Dam.
Oroville Lake Down 52 Feet, but 9 Upstream Reservoirs to Flood
The level of water in the Oroville Dam has fallen by 52 feet, but that feat was largely accomplished by over-filing 9 upstream reservoirs.
Oroville Reveals Concerns About California’s 1,500 Aging Dams
The Oroville Dam crisis is highlighting concerns that there are substantial risks to the integrity of California’s 1,500 regulated dams due to age and infrastructure underfunding.
Oroville Dam: State and Federal Government Share Blame
The San Jose Mercury News reports that both state and federal authorities are to blame, for ignoring a warning raised in 2005 that the emergency spillway could fail in heavy rain.
Emergency: California’s Oroville Dam Spillway Near Failure, Evacuations Ordered
The California Department of Water Resources issued a sudden evacuation order shortly before 5 p.m. Sunday for residents near the Oroville Dam in northern California, warning that the dam’s emergency spillway would fail in the next 60 minutes.
Sierra Snow Disaster: Low Snowpack, Nonexistent Rainfall Exacerbate CA Drought
Sierra Nevada snowpack levels and practically non-existent rainfall totals are converging to push California into a fourth straight year of drought.
