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Oroville Cost Estimates Rise

Dan Brekke

Massive rebuilding work at the failed Oroville Dam spillways is racking up a matching price tag.  

 

According to a construction update released by the Department of Water Resources Wednesday, the cost estimate rose to $1.1 billion, four times the initial $275 million dollar estimate.  

 


 

The complexity of the work, combined with short and strict deadlines have elevated costs, along with the discovery of unstable rock underlying part of the structure, which had to be mitigated.  

 

DWR anticipates that the Federal Emergency Management Agency will pick up the lion’s share of the bills, with the rest being borne by ratepayers using water stored at the dam – mainly agricultural irrigation districts and the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. It’s unclear if that scenario will play out. If federal officials determine the emergency was caused by faulty maintenance or operation, Californians could get stuck with the bill.  

 

Officials say work is continuing. Contractors are required to deliver a working spillway no later than November 1st, the official start of the rainy season. Ancillary work is expected to continue beyond that date.