mediaspin2000
Rookie
- Jan 21, 2017
- 16
- 8
- 1
Crews using helicopters yesterday to move large bags of rocks into Oroville emergency dam spillway.
Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen.
Note: This feature may not be available in some browsers.
A previous evacuation order has been reduced to an evacuation warning, Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea told a news conference, after water management officials drained enough water from the Oroville Dam. The warning means that people can return but should be prepared to evacuate again if necessary, Honea said.
A damaged spillway with eroded hillside is seen in an aerial photo taken over the Oroville Dam in Oroville, California
Both the primary and backup drainage channels of the dam, known as spillways, were damaged after a buildup of water that resulted from an extraordinarily wet winter in Northern California that followed years of severe drought.
California Department of Water Resources crews inspect and evaluate the erosion just below the Lake Oroville Emergency Spillway site after lake levels receded, in Oroville, California
More rain was forecast for as early as Wednesday and through Sunday, according to the National Weather Service. Swift action by officials led by the state Department of Water Resources relieved pressure on the spillways, Honea said.
Evacuees from California dam can return home, sheriff says