-0-
State water officials say, today, will be opening the Oroville dam main spillway for the first time since reconstruction, after a major failure in 2017. The spillway was damaged and eventually collapsed under water pressure that had built up under the spillway and from underneath the basic structure of the Oroville dam, the highest earthen dam in the USA, and owned and operated by the state of California. 200 thousand residents were evacuated when the dam was reported to be dangerous enough that its collapse could flood the downstream homes of thousands of residents. 11 Billion dollars has been spent by state and federal governments, to repair this spillway. The department of water resources said this week in a press release they have fully restored the spillway at Oroville Dam and assure they are operating the reservoir and assure the saftey of thoes downstream.