Water began pouring down the emergency spillway at Lake Oroville at around 8 this morning as the reservoir reached maximum capacity. Officials with the California Department of Water Resources said there is no danger to the public or to the dam itself.
Butte County officials are warning the public that the river will appear muddier than usual downstream and should not cause undue concern. While acknowledging the spectacle, officials are asking the public to stay clear of the site. DWR said there is enough capacity in the river channel downstream to accommodate the higher flows.
Water is currently entering the reservoir at a rate over 91,000 cubic feet per second, while engineers have been releasing water down the damaged spillway at about half that rate.
A large hole opened up in the concrete-lined spillway earlier this week, limiting how much water officials could release.