Stories about water issues in California and the American West, including coverage of energy, climate change, agriculture, innovation, water policy and rights. https://www.newsdeeply.com/water/series/oroville-dam-water/rss en Management & Supply Wed, 14 Jun 2017 05:00:19 +0000 Ian Evans https://www.newsdeeply.com/water/articles/2017/06/14/oroville-dam-incident-explained-what-happened-why-and-whats-next https://www.newsdeeply.com/water/articles/2017/06/14/oroville-dam-incident-explained-what-happened-why-and-whats-next Problems at two spillways at California’s Oroville Dam in February have resulted in months of analysis and reports about what went wrong and how much repairs will cost. Management & Supply Mon, 29 May 2017 05:00:38 +0000 Matt Weiser https://www.newsdeeply.com/water/articles/2017/05/29/oroville-dam-in-miniature-scale-model-helps-repair-damaged-spillway https://www.newsdeeply.com/water/articles/2017/05/29/oroville-dam-in-miniature-scale-model-helps-repair-damaged-spillway Engineers at Utah State University are testing water flows through a model of the Oroville Dam spillway to ensure America’s tallest dam can withstand the kind of freak surges that caused it to start breaking apart in February. Management & Supply Tue, 09 May 2017 08:45:35 +0000 Ian Evans https://www.newsdeeply.com/water/community/2017/05/09/oroville-dam-problems-may-point-to-systemic-industry-issues https://www.newsdeeply.com/water/community/2017/05/09/oroville-dam-problems-may-point-to-systemic-industry-issues The spillway problems that occurred at the Oroville Dam in February may be part of more systemic issues in the dam industry, says Stanford dam expert Martin McCann, Jr. Climate & Weather Management & Supply Fri, 07 Apr 2017 00:00:20 +0000 Matt Weiser https://www.newsdeeply.com/water/articles/2017/04/07/oroville-disaster-may-have-been-caused-by-weak-soil-under-spillway https://www.newsdeeply.com/water/articles/2017/04/07/oroville-disaster-may-have-been-caused-by-weak-soil-under-spillway Portions of Oroville Dam’s damaged spillway may have been built atop highly weathered rock, geologists say, a type vulnerable to erosion during the weeks of rain that led up to the disaster. Management & Supply Wed, 08 Mar 2017 05:00:48 +0000 Matt Weiser https://www.newsdeeply.com/water/articles/2017/03/08/key-oroville-drain-plugged-as-heavy-storms-pounded-the-reservoir https://www.newsdeeply.com/water/articles/2017/03/08/key-oroville-drain-plugged-as-heavy-storms-pounded-the-reservoir After a long history of problems, two river outlet valves deep inside Oroville Dam were not operating at a critical time this winter, eliminating one option to help manage severe storm runoff. Climate & Weather Management & Supply Thu, 02 Mar 2017 05:00:46 +0000 Jay Lund https://www.newsdeeply.com/water/community/2017/03/02/what-weve-learned-from-californias-2017-floods-so-far https://www.newsdeeply.com/water/community/2017/03/02/what-weve-learned-from-californias-2017-floods-so-far Heavy rains in the last few weeks have caused severe localized flooding and tested the strength of California’s levees and dams. As we take stock of all the events, some important lessons have emerged, writes U.C. Davis’ Jay Lund. Climate & Weather Management & Supply Mon, 20 Feb 2017 05:00:32 +0000 Juliet Christian-Smith https://www.newsdeeply.com/water/community/2017/02/20/learning-from-oroville-water-board-proposes-climate-change-resolution https://www.newsdeeply.com/water/community/2017/02/20/learning-from-oroville-water-board-proposes-climate-change-resolution A new resolution from the State Water Resources Control Board would make sure that climate science is integral to all its work, providing a much-needed example for other agencies to follow, writes scientist Juliet Christian-Smith. Climate & Weather Environment & Wildlife Management & Supply Fri, 17 Feb 2017 08:28:03 +0000 Tara Lohan https://www.newsdeeply.com/water/articles/2017/02/17/endangered-fish-among-the-evacuees-of-oroville-dam-crisis https://www.newsdeeply.com/water/articles/2017/02/17/endangered-fish-among-the-evacuees-of-oroville-dam-crisis Millions of fish listed under the Endangered Species Act were being raised at a hatchery by the dam and have had to be moved because of conditions in the Feather River. But those same conditions have been a boon for wild fish. Climate & Weather Management & Supply Thu, 16 Feb 2017 08:29:44 +0000 Peter Gleick, Laura Feinstein https://www.newsdeeply.com/water/articles/2017/02/16/big-picture-questions-raised-by-the-oroville-dam-emergency https://www.newsdeeply.com/water/articles/2017/02/16/big-picture-questions-raised-by-the-oroville-dam-emergency Let’s not let a good crisis go to waste: Here are six important conversations that need to happen in the aftermath of problems at Oroville Dam in Northern California.