Watch: Oroville Dam water released from main spillway for first time in 4 years

It's the second release of water at the Oroville Dam’s rebuilt spillway since a flooding crisis in 2017 collapsed the main spillway, eroded an emergency spillway and forced more than 180,000 people to evacuate.

It's the second release of water at the Oroville Dam’s rebuilt spillway since a flooding crisis in 2017 collapsed the main spillway, eroded an emergency spillway and forced more than 180,000 people to evacuate.

JUST A COUPLE OF MINUTES. >> THANKS. AS WE’VE BEEN REPORTING, WITH THE STORM ADDING MORE WATER TO RESERVOIRS, THE MAIN SPILLWAY AT OROVILLE DAM IS NOW OPEN. THIS IS THE FIRST USE AT THE STATE’S SECOND LARGEST LAKE SINCE APRIL 20-19. >> KCRA 3’S MICHELLE BANDUR IS LIVE IN OROVILLE. MICHELLE, YOU WERE THERE WHEN THE WATER STARTED FLOWING WHAT WAS THAT LIKE? >> YOU COULD FEEL THE ANTICIPATION WAITING FOR THE WATER TO FLOW DOWN THE MAIN SPILLWAY HERE AT THE OROVILLE DAM. AND ONCE THE WATER STARTED MOVING IT SIGNIFIED A NEW DAY FOR THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA. AS THE WATER STARTED MAKING IT’S WAY DOWN THE OROVILLE DAM SPILLWAY RIGHT AT NOON FRIDAY, SHIFFRIN IS 27-YEARS-OLD. >> AFTER A THREE YEARS DROUGHT, IT’S REALLY GOOD TO SEE THE LAKE RISING. >> THE WATER CARRIES A MESSAGE THAT RELIEF IS ON THE WAY TO CALIFORNIANS WHO DEPEND ON THIS RESERVOIR. >> THANK GOD. WE NEED THE WATER. WE NEED ALL OF THIS WATER. >> THE DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES IS RELEASING 15,000 CUBIC FEET PER SECOND OF WATER AS PART OF THE FLOOD PROTECTION PLAN. ORVAL LAKE IS APPROACHING ITS FULL CAPACITY. 900 FEET ELEVATION. >> THE RESERVOIR WILL MEAN WE WILL HAVE ADDITIONAL WATER SUPPLY. >> THIS IS THE SECOND CONTROLLED RELEASE FROM THE BILLION-DOLLAR SPILLWAY. REFURBISHED AFTER IT STARTED CRUMBLING 2017 AND FORCED EVACUATIONS AFTER MAJOR STORMS. DAM SAFETY ENGINE NEARS ON-SITE. JUST LIKE LOCAL RESIDENTS WHO HAVE NOT SEEN THIS AMOUNT OF WATER IN YEARS. >> TO FINALLY BE ABLE TO SHOW PEOPLE THAT IT IS FIXED, THAT IT IS A SUCCESS, THAT IT’S GOING TO HOLD THE WATER, I THINK IT’S IMPORTANT FOR EVERYONE TO REALIZE THAT THIS DAM IS A CRITICAL PART OF OUR INFRASTRUCTURE. >> WHAT YOU ARE SEEING IS THIS WATER IS JUST A FRACTION OF THE WATER THAT CAN BE RELEASED FROM THIS SPILLWAY. THIS IS ABOUT 15,000 CUBIC FEET OR SECOND. THE SPILLWAY CAN MAINTAIN, WE’VE GOT A LOT OF WIGGLE ROOM. IT EXPECTS THE LAKE TO FEEL BECAUSE OF ALL THE SNOWPACK AND IT’S ALSO MONITORING THE UPCOMING STORMS TO SEE IF WE WILL NEED TO RAISE THE RELEASE RATE. THEY EXPECT ORVAL LAKE TO BE FULL BY SPRING AND SUMMER.

Watch: Oroville Dam water released from main spillway for first time in 4 years

California officials released water from the main spillway at Oroville Dam Friday in the wake of recent storms and with snowmelt expected to swell lake levels later this year.It's the second release of water at the Oroville Dam’s rebuilt spillway since a flooding crisis in 2017 collapsed the main spillway, eroded an emergency spillway and forced more than 180,000 people to evacuate.| VIDEO BELOW | Watch the Oroville Dam water release with an exclusive view from LiveCopter 3 Lake Oroville in Butte County is the state’s second-largest lake in the state, with a total volume of 3.5 million acre-feet. It’s part of the state water project, which provides water to 27 million Californians.The spillway is 3,000 feet long and 180 feet wide. Ted Craddock, deputy director of the State Water Project with the Department of Water Resources, said that the lake plays a key role in flood protection for communities downstream of the lake on the Feather River like Oroville and Yuba City.The lake has up to 830,000 acre-feet of space available to be reserved for flood protection during the rainy season, he said. The lake is now at 2.7 million acre-feet of capacity, an increase of 1.7 million acre-feet since before the season’s first storms in December."After 3 years of drought and low lake elevations, it's really good to see the lake rising," Craddock said.The lake has risen 180 feet since Dec. 1 and is 60 feet shy from topping off at 900 feet.Modeling for upcoming storms shows about 20,000-40,000 cubic feet a second of water to come into the lake, he said.After the spillway was rebuilt in 2017 and 2018, it was used for the first time in April 2019 to release about 25,000 cubic feet per second.Craddock said Friday’s release will be “relatively small” at about 15,000 cubic feet per second.The spillway has a total capacity of 270,000 cubic feet per second, he said.He expressed confidence in the spillway, saying it was rebuilt with improved drainage and monitoring instrumentation. The spillway’s gates are tested annually and the facility has other inspections.“It’s a very robust structure,” he said.Residents gathered along the dam and roadways to watch the water release."Thank God. We need the water. We need the water storage," said Barbara Noble-Allinger. She lives in Chico.Shawn Volland called it "beautiful and powerful.""All the way, fill it all the way to the top," he said.

BUTTE COUNTY, Calif. —

California officials released water from the main spillway at Oroville Dam Friday in the wake of recent storms and with snowmelt expected to swell lake levels later this year.

| VIDEO BELOW | Watch the Oroville Dam water release with an exclusive view from LiveCopter 3

Lake Oroville in Butte County is the state’s second-largest lake in the state, with a total volume of 3.5 million acre-feet. It’s part of the state water project, which provides water to 27 million Californians.

Although a relatively small spill is initially anticipated at Lake Oroville, the new spillway is fully operational and capable of handling much higher releases if needed. The #spillway was last used in April 2019 up to a flow of 25,000 cfs. pic.twitter.com/lum93mLuNZ
— CA - DWR (@CA_DWR) March 10, 2023

The spillway is 3,000 feet long and 180 feet wide.

Ted Craddock, deputy director of the State Water Project with the Department of Water Resources, said that the lake plays a key role in flood protection for communities downstream of the lake on the Feather River like Oroville and Yuba City.

The lake has up to 830,000 acre-feet of space available to be reserved for flood protection during the rainy season, he said. The lake is now at 2.7 million acre-feet of capacity, an increase of 1.7 million acre-feet since before the season’s first storms in December.

"After 3 years of drought and low lake elevations, it's really good to see the lake rising," Craddock said.

The lake has risen 180 feet since Dec. 1 and is 60 feet shy from topping off at 900 feet.

Modeling for upcoming storms shows about 20,000-40,000 cubic feet a second of water to come into the lake, he said.

After the spillway was rebuilt in 2017 and 2018, it was used for the first time in April 2019 to release about 25,000 cubic feet per second.

Craddock said Friday’s release will be “relatively small” at about 15,000 cubic feet per second.

The spillway has a total capacity of 270,000 cubic feet per second, he said.

He expressed confidence in the spillway, saying it was rebuilt with improved drainage and monitoring instrumentation. The spillway’s gates are tested annually and the facility has other inspections.

“It’s a very robust structure,” he said.

Residents gathered along the dam and roadways to watch the water release.

"Thank God. We need the water. We need the water storage," said Barbara Noble-Allinger. She lives in Chico.

Shawn Volland called it "beautiful and powerful."

"All the way, fill it all the way to the top," he said.

Watch: Oroville Dam water released from main spillway for first time in 4 years

It's the second release of water at the Oroville Dam’s rebuilt spillway since a flooding crisis in 2017 collapsed the main spillway, eroded an emergency spillway and forced more than 180,000 people to evacuate.

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