California officials said Wednesday, the cost of repairs and other improvements stemming from last yeara s near disaster at the nationa s tallest dam, the Oroville dam, A is $1.1 billion, a staggering total nearly $250 million over projections at the start of the year and that could go higher. Part of the additional cost is based on hiring more crews to meet a November 1 deadline for competition of laying cement on the spillway.
