Construction workers and engineers officially crossed the finish line at Lake Oroville. Yesterday, the Department of Water Resources pronounced the new spillway ready, willing and able to handle whatever mother nature delivers.
The staggering task is virtually complete. Destroyed by deferred maintenance, poor management and heavy loads in February 2017, an army of construction workers, heavy equipment and engineers went to work.
On Wednesday, Joel Ledesma the State Water Project Deputy Director within the Department of Water Resources documented the milestone
“We have met our November 1st public safety construction milestone by completing all concrete placements on the main spillway.” Ledesma said.
After being revised upwards months ago, Erin Mellon, a spokeswoman for DWR said the cost estimate remains $1.1 billion dollars.
Drainage and environmental restoration work will continue, along with finishing work on the emergency spillway, which was within an hour of catastrophic structural failure the first time it was pressed into service more than a year and a half ago.
Officials say the new main spillway is vastly improved over the original. Again, Joel Ledesma.
“The main spillway has been completely reconstructed to handle the original design capacity of 270,000 cubic feet per second.” he said.
That amount would overtop downstream levees. Only in an emergency would releases reach that level.
Operators will again keep the reservoir’s level lower than normal this winter, a strategy to avoid using the not quite completed emergency spillway.
A lengthy report, detailing other possible dangers lurking at the dam, including the existing head-gate structure where cracks and failed anchor bolts have raised concerns, is scheduled for completion in mid-2020.